Circle of Jean-Marc Nattier

With Eugene Fischhof and Charles Sedelmeyer, Paris (according to the below);

Mr. and Mrs. Claus A. Spreckels (1858–1946), San Francisco and Villa Baratier, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France;

Their sale, New York, Anderson Galleries, 5-6 December 1930, lot 305 (as Attributed to Robert Tournieres);

Where acquired by J. Basch, for $310;

Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, 23 February 1968, lot 100 (as Robert Tournieres);

Where acquired by Central Picture Galleries, New York;

Probably Dr. Bob Jones, Jr., Greenville, South Carolina;

From whom acquired by Dr. and Mrs. John McLario, Esq., Milwaukee;

Thence by descent to the present collectors.

In eighteenth-century France, aristocratic women often had their portraits painted in the guise of mythological or historical figures. Here, the sitter is transformed into Diana, goddess of the hunt, and adorned with her typical attributes: a bow, quiver of arrows, crescent tiara, leopard skin, and doting hound. To an eighteenth-century audience, Diana symbolized not only the pinnacle of physical beauty, but also embodied the virtues of strength and authority, making her an ideal subject for emulation.

Since at least the early-twentieth century, the sitter has traditionally been identified as Marie Louise Thérèse Victoire (1733-1799), also known as Madame Victoire. She was the daughter of King Louis XV, whose royal arms adorn the elaborate frame accompanying the present painting. Jean-Marc Nattier's famous portrait of the French princess dated 1748 is in the collection of the Château de Versailles (inv. no. MV 3819).

We are grateful to Olafur Thorvaldsson for his contribution to the provenance research of the present lot.