Premium Artcurial
177
-
Attributed to Louis-André-Gabriel BOUCHET (Paris, 1759 – 184…
See original version (French)
177
-
Attributed to Louis-André-Gabriel BOUCHET (Paris, 1759 – 184…
See original version (French)
Estimate €5,000 - €6,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Attributed to Louis-André-Gabriel BOUCHET (Paris, 1759 – 1842)
Portrait of a woman holding a letter
Oil on canvas
Bears an old, erased signature and a date ‘David / 1812’ in the lower left-hand corner
Portrait of a woman holding a letter, oil on canvas, attr. to L.-A.-G. Bouchet
28.93 x 23.42 in.
73.5 x 59.5 cm
Provenance: Private European collection
As the heir to his master Jacques-Louis David, the painter Louis-André-Gabriel Bouchet made grand neoclassical portraiture his speciality during the Empire and the Restoration.
His works are recognisable by their close framing of the subject, who occupies the majority of the canvas, in a composition that is both understated and monumental. Whilst Bouchet occasionally includes a landscape in the background of his portraits, he very often places his subjects against a neutral, plain background. This choice reveals his desire to highlight the nobility and psychological depth that emanate from the posture and gaze of his patrons. The artist renders their faces and complexions with a particularly delicate and luminous touch, thus creating a striking contrast with the background. Finally, Bouchet pays close attention to the fabrics of his models’ attire and the materials of the furnishings surrounding them.
The characteristics and qualities of our portrait allow it to be linked to the artist’s body of work.
A Family Portrait, signed and dated in the same year as our painting and held at the Detroit Institute of Arts (inv. no. 27.246), reveals unmistakable similarities with our portrait (fig. 1).
Attributed to Louis-André-Gabriel BOUCHET (Paris, 1759–1842)
73.5 x 59.5 cm
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
The Rothschild taste, passed down through the generations: A pied-à-terre on the Champ-de-Mars
Auction location
Auction time
09/22/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like