Artwork

Posthumous portrait of Louise-Élisabeth de France, Duchess of Parma

Posthumous portrait of Louise-Élisabeth de France, Duchess of Parma is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jean-Marc Nattier. It dates from 1760 and is held in the collection of the Palace of Versailles.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The composition integrates specific iconographic elements associated with aristocratic leisure, featuring a hat, a glove, and the pursuit of parforce hunting.

The artwork is a posthumous portrait of Louise-Élisabeth of France, Duchess of Parma, who lived from 1727 to 1759. As its main subject, the painting memorializes her while depicting her in a seated pose adorned with lace. The composition integrates specific iconographic elements associated with aristocratic leisure, featuring a hat, a glove, and the pursuit of parforce hunting.

These attributes visually communicate her royal status and elite lifestyle, framing her identity through the refined and vigorous pursuits of the hunt.

Technique & Style

Jean-Marc Nattier executed this posthumous portrait in 1760 using oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 136 cm in height and 104 cm in width. Stylistically, the painting is a formal portrait that depicts the subject seated, adorned with lace and gloves, and accompanied by elements of parforce hunting such as a hat. These iconographic choices reflect the aristocratic leisure pursuits associated with Louise-Élisabeth de France.

History & Provenance

Jean-Marc Nattier executed this posthumous oil on canvas portrait of Louise-Élisabeth de France, Duchess of Parma, in 1760, one year after the subject's death. The work was subsequently exhibited at the Salon of 1761. Currently held by the Museum of the History of France at the Palace of Versailles, the painting bears multiple inventory identifiers, including MV 3875, INV 6886, and B 1926. The piece remains within the French national collections, specifically located at the museum in Versailles.

The painting is held by the Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, specifically within the Museum of the History of France at the Palace of Versailles. Its inventory numbers are MV 3875, INV 6886, and B 1926. The work was exhibited at the Salon of 1761.

Overview

Jean-Marc Nattier’s oil painting, completed in 1760, presents a posthumous likeness of Louise‑Élisabeth de France, who held the title Duchess of Parma. The work shows the former duchess seated beneath a tree, dressed in a dark blue gown trimmed with gold, a black feathered hat, and holding a white glove. The background is a softened landscape with distant trees and architectural hints, rendered in the delicate palette typical of mid‑eighteenth‑century French portraiture.