Donatien Nonnotte

Anonymous sale, Monaco, Sotheby's, 5 March 1984, lot 1059 (no date given);
Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, 12 January 1989, lot 85 (as dated 1743);
Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, 28 January 1999, lot 502 (no date given);
Anonymous sale, New York, Christie's, 27 January 2000, lot 153 (as dated 1783);
There purchased by the present collector.

Probably Paris, Salon, 1743, no.86 (Celui de Mad.*** finissant sa Toilette).

S. Martin, "Vie et Oeuvre de Donat Nonnotte, Peintre du XVIIe siècle," in Travaux de l'Institut d'Histoire de l'Art de Lyon, cahier n^o 8-9, 1985, p. 95, reproduced fig. 54 (as dated 1743).

For a high resolution digital image, please refer to the online catalogue at Sothebys.com or contact a member of the Old Master Paintings department. 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 painting has not been recently restored. However, due to the uneven condition and fairly competent retouching, a reexamination of the restoration is not necessarily recommended. There are two old restorations in the background above the head, one to the left of the head and another diagonal scratch in the varnish to the right of the head; both of these could receive some cosmetic attention. Between the blue bow on the left arm and the bow in the center of the chest there is an old restoration that could be improved. The face has probably received some cosmetic attention and if the work were cleaned, the features (i.e. eyes, nose and mouth) would be less generic without the restoration in evidence today. There is no doubt that if this picture were properly and carefully restored, the result would be more true to the original painting. However, cleaning the painting will reveal thinness to some areas of the paint layer and remove restorations that are not visible under ultraviolet light.
"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."

Nonnotte was a favorite pupil of Lemoyne and collaborated with him on many of his important large scale works, including the ceiling of the Salon d'Hercule at the Palace of Versailles and the decoration of the Chapel of the Virgin in St. Sulpice.  Although Nonnotte achieved success initially as a history painter, it is as a portrait painter that he is best known today.  He was received into the Academy on the basis of his portraits of Sébastien Leclerc and Pierre D'Ulin and exhibited there regularly until his departure for Lyon in 1754.