Lot n° 278
Estimation :
12000 - 15000
EUR
Result without fees
Result
: 12 000EUR
Attribué à Marianne LOIR (Paris 1705-1783 Paris) - Lot 278
Attribué à Marianne LOIR (Paris 1705-1783 Paris)
Portrait of Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry (1721- 1797).
Oil on canvas
80 x 63.5 cm.
Our portrait of Marianne Loir perfectly illustrates her characteristic style and fine psychology: a fairly natural pose, a neutral background, a model with a good-natured, warm attitude.
Born in Paris on December 10, 1705, she trained with the famous painter
Jean-François de Troy at the Académie de France in Rome, Marianne Loir traveled to Italy between 1738 and 1746, accompanying her brother, the pastellist and sculptor Alexis III Loir. On her return to Paris, she distinguished herself by her ability to capture nobility and simplicity in her portraits of the bourgeoisie and provincial nobility.
Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry, captain and military engineer, is shown here in bust form, clad in armor and wrapped in a leopard skin, a martial symbol of power and distinction.
Born in Quebec City, he joined the army at the age of 12, and was one of the most esteemed officers of the Marquis de Montcalm, commander-in-chief of the French armed forces in New France.
His campaign diary, diligently completed between 1749 and 1759, is a valuable source for understanding the "War of the Conquest" ("Guerre de la Conquête").
Conquest" ("French and Indian War").
He served until the tragic Battle of the Plains of Abraham (September 13, 1759), which saw the British victorious, Quebec taken, Montcalm killed and Chaussegros wounded and taken prisoner.
Although a captive, he was named Chevalier de l'Ordre Royal et Militaire de
the same year. He was freed by the British in 1761 and returned to France, where he remained until 1762-1763.
It was almost certainly during this period that he met
Marianne Loir and had his portrait painted.
In 1753, he married Louise Martel de Brouage (1738-1793), who bore him six children. They were the first Franco-Canadian couple presented to the court of King George III, who publicly praised Madame's beauty.
Returning to Quebec City in September 1764, Chaussegros went on to serve in the civil service: as grand voyer of the Quebec district in 1768, as legislative councillor in 1775, as member of the Executive Council in 1784, and as legislative councillor in 1792.
An interesting figure in the history of Lower Canada
since 1959. The Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec owns a 19th-century copy of our painting (inv. 1967.106), as well as two portraits attributed to Marianne Loir.
Loir, depicting him and his wife (inv. 1967.101).
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