Artwork
Portrait of a Woman with a Guitar, called Louise D'Aumont, Mazarin, Duchesse d'Aumont
Portrait of a Woman with a Guitar, called Louise D'Aumont, Mazarin, Duchesse d'Aumont is a watercolor painting by the Rococo painting artist Antoine Vestier. It dates from 1792 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is a portrait miniature executed in watercolor on an ivory support, a medium typical of late‑eighteenth‑century French miniature painting.
The work is a portrait miniature executed in watercolor on an ivory support, a medium typical of late‑eighteenth‑century French miniature painting. Dated 1792, it reflects Antoine Vestier's refined technique, characterized by delicate brushwork, subtle gradations of tone, and meticulous attention to the sitter's features and the guitar's details, embodying the elegant, intimate style favored in aristocratic portrait miniatures of the period. The translucency of the ivory allows the watercolor to achieve a luminous surface, while the fine stippling and hatchings convey texture in the sitter's attire and the instrument's strings.
History & Provenance
The portrait miniature titled Portrait of a Woman with a Guitar, called Louise D'Aumont, Mazarin, Duchesse d'Aumont was created by the French artist Antoine Vestier in 1792. Executed on ivory using watercolor paint, the work depicts its subject holding a guitar. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is cataloged under the accession number 1921.913.
Overview
Antoine Vestier, a French portraitist and miniaturist, completed Portrait of a Woman with a Guitar, called Louise D'Aumont, Mazarin, Duchesse d'Aumont in 1792. This work, painted on ivory, exemplifies the Rococo aesthetic through its refined elegance and delicate execution. It presents a woman seated with a guitar, a motif frequently employed in the period to convey grace and personal charm.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait features a woman in an oval frame, seated on a green chair against a brown background, holding a guitar. Her attire includes a purple dress with a blue bodice and a matching ribbon in her styled hair, complemented by a pearl necklace. Her gentle expression and the detailed rendering of her instrument underscore the Rococo emphasis on intimate, graceful domestic scenes, often associated with feminine accomplishments.
Context
Antoine Vestier, trained by Jean-Baptiste Pierre, established himself as a prominent portrait painter, gaining admission to the prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1785. His commissions included portraits for notable individuals, such as the royal cabinet-maker Jean Henri Riesener. This 1792 work places him at the end of the Rococo era, demonstrating his continued adherence to its stylistic conventions even as Neoclassicism began to emerge.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Antoine Vestier (French pronunciation:; 1740 – 24 December 1824) was a French miniaturist and painter of portraits, born at Avallon in Burgundy, who trained in the atelier of Jean-Baptiste Pierre.
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Woman at a Harpsichord
Portrait of a Woman in a Blue Dress
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Woman in a Blue Dress
Portrait of a Woman at a Harpsichord
Unknown woman
Brita Charlotta Wattrang (1775-1850), gift med friherre Otto Ludvig Benedikt Wrangel af Lindeberg
Madame Clotilde playing the guitar
Fredrika Carleson (1743-1794), gift med 1. Carl Erik Wadenstierna, 2. Fredrik von Post
The Marriage Presents- Portrait of a Woman with a Guitar, called Louise D'Aumont, Mazarin, Duchesse d'Aumont