The Portrait of a Violist and a Young Lady: Seeking Their Identity and Paternity
Résumé
No portrait of Antoine Forqueray (1672-1745) has yet been identified with certainty although a painting of a violist and a very young woman recently offered at auction in Paris has been the occasion to reopen the discussion. By taking into account the skill with which the painter depicts the Parisian instrument, the manner in which the bow is held, and the Order of St. Louis, this study explores the possibility that the painting depicts the professional musician Antoine Forqueray and his daughter or Michel Ferrand (1681-1738) - captain of the French Guards as well as a pupil of Caix d'Herveloix (1680-1759) - and his young wife. A dating around 1725 and an attribution to the painter Jacques-François Delyen (1684-1761) are proposed. The enigma remains, making this "case study" a methodological reflection on the challenges of identifying individuals with certainty within paintings despite many interesting clues.
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