Lot 2086 Dα

This magnificent and important three-quarter length portrait depicts the Duchess of Noailles in a white dress embroidered with silk and gold threads, a blue cloak, and a gold embroidered bodice. Her hairstyle and clothing indicate that the portrait was painted some time between 1690 and 1710. She holds a portrait of an older woman propped up on a pedestal beside her. It depicts her aunt, the Marquise de Maintenon, in her typical dark lace trimmed attire.
The composition of this large-format work not only celebrates the sitter's status, but also that of her patron in the oval painting beside her. The Marquise de Maintenon married the Sun King Louis XIV in a private ceremony in 1683. Although she was never recognised as queen, this union granted her considerable political power. In the years following her marriage she took on the responsibility of raising her brother's only daughter, Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné, who is depicted here. A painting in the palace of Versailles made by Louis Ferdinand Elle the Younger in around 1688 depicts Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné as a young girl of four posing with Madame de Maintenon. The painting testifies to the committed and motherly patronage between the two women at the French court.
In 1698, Madame de Maintenon arranged for her thirteen year old niece to be married to the young Duke Adrien Maurice of the powerful house of Noailles. Thus, Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné became Duchess of Noailles. She was also chosen to inherit her aunt's considerable fortune as well as the Chateau de Maintenon. The elegantly dressed sitter thanks her benefactress in this portrait.
Nicolas de Largillière used the motif of a painting within a painting to great effect. Other examples include his principal works, the portrait of Charles Le Brun upon his acceptance to the French Academy, and the portrait of the artist in his studio made in around 1686 (Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk/Virginia). The attention to detail in the costume and the uncompromising way in which the artist has rendered the Duchesses complexion are further indications of Largillières' authorship.