Artwork
Family Portrait
Family Portrait is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist François-Hubert Drouais. It dates from 1756 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right on box lid: Fs.Drouais.ce 1 avril. 1756
About this work
Technique & Style
The work measures 244 cm in height and 195 cm in width, establishing a monumental presence typical of formal group portraiture from the mid-eighteenth century.
Executed in 1756, this large-scale portrait by François-Hubert Drouais is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 244 cm in height and 195 cm in width, establishing a monumental presence typical of formal group portraiture from the mid-eighteenth century. As a piece classified within the portrait genre, the artist utilized oil paints to render the figures and their setting on a woven canvas support.
The surviving physical object demonstrates the durability of these traditional materials, having passed through multiple private collections before entering the National Gallery of Art's Samuel H. Kress Collection. No specific details regarding the current condition, surface handling, or distinct stylistic brushwork techniques are provided in the available records beyond the fundamental medium and dimensions.
History & Provenance
Family Portrait, an oil on canvas portrait painted in 1756 by François‑Hubert Drouais (NGA 1946.7.12), measures 244 × 195 cm. The work was first acquired in 1889 by Samuel Cunliffe‑Lister, 1st Baron Masham, and remained in his family’s possession through successive inheritances by his son, brother, and cousin Lady Lloyd‑Greame. In November 1936 the painting was bought from the family by the dealers Duveen Brothers and later entered the Samuel H. Kress Foundation collection in 1942. The foundation gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1946. No documentary evidence identifies the original patron or commissioning circumstances.
Overview
"Family Portrait," painted by François-Hubert Drouais in 1756, is an oil on canvas depicting a domestic scene. The artwork presents three individuals within a refined interior, capturing a moment of interaction. This painting serves as a representative example of 18th-century portraiture, emphasizing the sitters' status and personal connections through its composition and detailed execution.
Subject & Meaning
The composition features a man standing, clad in a distinguished gold-and-blue coat, holding a document. Beside him, a woman in a flowing white dress with a pink sash is seated, cradling a small girl dressed in blue. The child, holding a flower, gazes intently at the man, suggesting a familial bond and perhaps a shared moment of attention. The background includes a table with bottles and a wall clock, indicating a private, well-appointed domestic space.
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Artist & collection
Artist
François-Hubert Drouais (French pronunciation:; Paris, 14 December 1727 – Paris, 21 October 1775) was a leading French portrait painter during the latter years of Louis XV's reign.
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