ELISABETH-LOUISE VIGÉE LE BRUN | Portrait of a young woman dressed in white, half-length

Henri Baderou (1910-1991), Canet-en-Roussillon;
His estate sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 3 June 1996, lot 144;
There acquired. 

The canvas has been relined. The paint layer remains vibrant. The brushwork and impasto in the whites of her costume are particularly well-preserved, and overall the work appears fresh and colorful. A somewhat large craqueleure pattern is visible in the background, particularly in the darker areas of the landscape, but it is not distracting and remains stable. Very little retouching is visible under ultra violet light. There are some small areas in the shadow alongside the bridge of her nose which flouresce but otherwise inpainting is very minimal. Offered in a carved giltwood frame with an elaborate decoration and plaque on the top.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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An early work by the most important female artist of 18th century France, this portrait of a young woman was painted in 1774.  Less than twenty years old at the time, the young painter had not yet married the art dealer Jean Baptiste Pierre Le Brun.  Vigée listed in her memoirs a number of women who sat to her in 1774; among those yet to be identified are portraits of the Baronne de Lande and Mesdames Damerval, Maingat, Le Normand, and de la Grange.  It is likely that the sitter in the present work is one of these women.¹  Stylistically the work can be compared to the artist's portrait from the same year of Marie Louise Adélaide Jacquette de Robien, later Vicomtesse de Mirabeau, which is also three-quarter length (fig. 1).

This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the works of Vigée Le Brun being prepared by Joseph Baillio. 


1. See E.L. Vigée Le Brun, Souvenirs, Paris 1835, vol. I, p. 319) for the list of sitters.