Artwork
Portrait of Jean-Gabriel du Theil at the Signing of the Treaty of Vienna
Portrait of Jean-Gabriel du Theil at the Signing of the Treaty of Vienna is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Joseph Aved. It dates from 1738 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The composition captures the subject, Jean-Gabriel du Theil, at the specific historical moment of the signing of the Treaty of Vienna.
Executed in 1738 by Joseph Aved, this portrait is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 124.5 cm in height and 92.4 cm in width. Created in France, the piece functions as a formal portrait, utilizing standard oil paint application on a woven support typical of eighteenth-century French practice.
The composition captures the subject, Jean-Gabriel du Theil, at the specific historical moment of the signing of the Treaty of Vienna.
History & Provenance
Portrait of Jean‑Gabriel du Theil at the Signing of the Treaty of Vienna is an oil on canvas portrait painted in 1738 in France by Joseph Aved. The work was created to commemorate the diplomatic agreement and later entered the market through the dealer Wildenstein & Company, subsequently passing to collector Edouard Gustave Kann before its acquisition by the Cleveland Museum of Art. The painting measures 124.5 cm in height and 92.4 cm in width.
Its provenance reflects a documented ownership chain from the dealer to Kann and finally to the museum, where it remains on view.
The painting Portrait of Jean‑Gabriel du Theil at the Signing of the Treaty of Vienna by Joseph Aved is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art. It entered the museum’s collection through ownership by Wildenstein & Company and Edouard Gustave Kann, though no specific accession number is recorded in the available documentation. The work is listed in the museum’s catalogue as part of its portrait holdings, but exhibition records referenced in the sources do not mention prior public displays. The provenance indicates the artwork was created in France in 1738 and remains in the museum’s possession.
Context
Joseph Aved (1702–1766), a French portraitist active in the mid‑18th century, produced this oil on canvas work in 1738. The painting, measuring 124.5 cm by 92.4 cm, exemplifies the decorative portrait genre favored by French aristocratic circles. Its provenance includes ownership by Wildenstein & Company and Edouard Gustave Kann before entry into the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.
While the sources do not document contemporary critical commentary, later scholarship notes the work as an example of the period’s stylistic transition toward more intimate portraiture.
Overview
Jacques-André-Joseph Aved's Portrait of Jean-Gabriel du Theil at the Signing of the Treaty of Vienna, painted in 1738, captures a prominent figure of its era. Executed in oil, this work presents Jean-Gabriel du Theil in a formal pose, suggesting his involvement in significant diplomatic affairs. The painting is a notable example of Aved's portraiture, reflecting the refined aesthetic prevalent in Parisian society during the reign of King Louis XV.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts Jean-Gabriel du Theil seated at a green-draped table, poised with a quill pen in hand. His elaborate blue and gold robe, paired with a white wig, signifies his high status. Accompanying objects, such as an inkwell, candlestick, and a document bearing a red wax seal, strongly allude to the act of signing a significant agreement.
This formal arrangement underscores du Theil's role in the diplomatic event referenced in the title, the Treaty of Vienna.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jacques-André-Joseph Aved (12 January 1702 – 4 March 1766), also called le Camelot (The Hawker) and Avet le Batave (The Dutch Avet), was a French painter, renowned among the main Rococo portraitists in Paris during King Louis XV's reign.
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