Nicolas de Largillierre

Barentin de Montchal collection;
de Rochefort collection;
Orléans, Galerie des Ventes, October 15, 1987, lot 7.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This impressive painting has been recently restored and should be hung as is. The canvas has been lined with glue as an adhesive and the paint layer is stable. The lining has been a little harsh perhaps and there is an absence of texture in many parts of the picture. However the painting has been well cleaned and retouched, and although the retouches could be slightly corrected, they are mostly very accurate and are confined to isolated areas, a lot of which are around the edges. There are isolated damages in the sky, a vertical tear in the lower sky and another group of structural repairs, most likely tears, in the lower right corner. It is also possible that these are not tears and may have been where the picture was rolled, causing these areas to produce paint loss. This is most evident in the left cheek of the child and in the right cheek of the mother. Abrasion does not appear to have occurred nearly as much and there is a good retention of the glazes and all of the details, particularly evident in the hands and the faces which distinguishes the picture. This painting should be hung as is.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the paintings of Largillierre by Georges de Lastic and Dominique Brême.

Madame Bertin, née Madeleine Denise Pajot, was the daughter of Philibert Pajot, Seigneur de Plouy. In 1714 she married Bruno Maximilien Bertin, seigneur de Vaugien, a counselor of the Parliament of Paris. In adulthood, her son Balthazar Bruno (1730-1786), whom Largillierre has depicted here at her side, likewise became an officer of the Parliament.

According to the early 20th century Largillierre specialist Georges Sortais, the back of the original canvas of this painting, which has been relined, bears the artist's signature and the date 1736.