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Portrait of Julien Prieur, the businessman of the Marquis of Armentières as a hunter
Portrait of Julien Prieur, the businessman of the Marquis of Armentières as a hunter - Paintings & Drawings Style Louis XV Portrait of Julien Prieur, the businessman of the Marquis of Armentières as a hunter - Portrait of Julien Prieur, the businessman of the Marquis of Armentières as a hunter - Louis XV
Ref : 100644
20 000 €
Period :
18th century
Provenance :
France
Medium :
Oil on linen
Dimensions :
l. 25.59 inch X H. 31.89 inch
Paintings & Drawings  - Portrait of Julien Prieur, the businessman of the Marquis of Armentières as a hunter 18th century - Portrait of Julien Prieur, the businessman of the Marquis of Armentières as a hunter Louis XV - Portrait of Julien Prieur, the businessman of the Marquis of Armentières as a hunter
Stéphane Renard Fine Art

Old master paintings and drawings


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Portrait of Julien Prieur, the businessman of the Marquis of Armentières as a hunter

81 x 65 cm (framed 99.5 x 84 cm) - presented in its original Louis XV period carved wood frame

This painting has kept its original canvas and frame, which is quite exceptional for a portrait of this period.

This portrait of modest size presents the trusted man of the family of Conflans d'Armentières. More precisely, Julien Prieur was the fiscal procurator of the Marquisate of Armentières, playing the role of representative of the "public ministry", safeguarding the interests of his lord. His role, one can think, was capital at the death of Michel de Conflans (in 1717) since this one left in dying an heir, Louis, 6 years old and a widow, Diane Gabrielle de Jussac that some memory qualifies of "very clever great lady". Prieur allowed the family business to run smoothly and it is probably for services rendered that Diane Gabrielle had her portrait painted, most probably by a painter close to Jean-Baptiste Oudry, as a hunter.

Julien Prieur appears as himself, between two ages, with a benevolent look, in his everyday clothes. Only his knotted wig links him to the nobility.

Above all, he is represented as a hunter, a passion that was not only his but that of the Marquis of Armentières. His young master, Louis, became a first-rate hunter, hunting in the King's entourage, in whose cabinet he died of apoplexy in January 1774. As for his son, he was one of the closest hunting companions of Louis XVI, as numerous souvenirs attest.

1. Some biographical elements about the model and the commissioner

While the identity of many 18th century portraits is uncertain, an old label stuck on the back of the canvas gives us precise information on the identity of the model: "Mr. Julien Prieur, businessman of Mr. Le Marquis d'Armentières - Commune of Brécy - Aisne".

Brécy is today a commune of Aisne (Hauts-de-France) located between Soissons and Château-Thierry, slightly north of the axis Paris-Reims. It borders the municipalities of Armentières-sur-Ourcq and Rocourt-Saint-Martin.

In Louise-Marthe de Conflans-Coigny, chatelaine de Brécy, we read that "the Conflans were a family of ancient nobility, which genealogists trace back to the 12th century, when it came from the house of Brienne. In the 16th and 17th centuries, this family had several illustrations in the profession of arms.

The last representative of the elder branch, Henriette d'Armentières, made Michel de Conflans her heir at her death in 1712. It was through her that the land of Armentières and its 14th century castle entered the patrimony of this branch, as well as, not far from there, the land of Brécy and the castle of Le Buisson, where the family lived. Michel de Conflans had managed to push himself, in the early years of the 18th century, into the entourage of the Duke of Orleans, of whom he became first gentleman of the chamber, but it was above all his son Louis, who restored the family coat of arms through his military career.

Born on February 23, 1711, Louis de Conflans, Marquis d'Armentières died of apoplexy on January 18, 1774, at Versailles in the King's cabinet. Appointed lieutenant general in 1746, he received the baton of marshal of France in 1768. The Dictionary of French Biography writes that "without ever having a high command, he appeared with honor in all the wars of his time.

The domains of Armentières and Le Buisson were sequestered during the Revolution, declared national property and sold at auction (respectively in 1794 and 1795) after the marquise of Armentières, the second wife of the marshal, was beheaded in 1794.

The Château du Buisson (where Michel de Conflans died in 1717) was bought by a granddaughter of the Marshal de Conflans, the Marquise de Coigny, in 1816 and remained in her descendants after her death in 1832 until the sale of the 1.054 hectare estate in 1866.

One can imagine that the painting, acquired by the Marquise de Coigny from Louis Prieur, Julien's son, at his death, was then labeled with the name of the model.

2. Description of the work

The painting presents a man in his thirties in hunting costume. Presented at mid-body, he offers a face marked by life in the open air, characterized by a look of great bonhomie. A rifle under the elbow, he is dressed soberly in a large caramel-colored jacket, decorated with silver buttons. Presented in a three-quarter view, the model holds a partridge in his right hand. The jacket opens on a vermilion vest. A green shoulder strap probably holds a powder flask hidden by his arm and a satchel is visible on his belt.

The model is wearing a gray wig, tied in the back with a black ribbon that seems to fly in the wind. This ornament anchors Julien Prieur in his time. It stands out against a dark, purplish sky at the end of an autumn day in a forest landscape with a soberly sketched background. The treatment of the sky recalls the influence of Largillière, Oudry's first master.

3. Jean-Baptiste Oudry

Jean-Baptiste Oudry was born on March 17, 1686 in Paris, rue de la Ferronnerie. He began his apprenticeship around 1705-1707 with Nicolas de Largillière, with whom he remained for five years.

He was first accepted at the Académie de Saint-Luc in 1708, then at the Académie Royale in 1717, and finally as a history painter in 1719. This year marks a turning point from which Oudry will assert himself as an animal painter. The meeting in 1723 of Louis Fagon, Intendant of Finances and the Marquis de Beringhen, first equerry of the King, who became friends and patrons of the artist, allowed him to benefit from royal commissions and to be appointed in 1726 as painter of the Royal Tapestry Factory of Beauvais.

Between 1726 and 1731, Oudry created the decoration of a salon at the château de Condé-en-Brie, about twenty kilometers from Brécy, which is still in place today.

A prolific artist, Oudry fulfilled numerous commissions in addition to his regular participation in the Salons until 1753. In 1754 he suffered a stroke and died the following year.

It seems almost certain, given the importance of his work, that Oudry supervised a workshop in which several artists participated. However, it seems interesting to us to make the hypothesis, given the geographical proximity between Brécy and Condé-en-Brie, the links that united the Armentières family and the patrons of Brécy, and finally the quality of our portrait, that it would have been painted by one of the painters who had worked at Condé.

Delevery information :

The prices indicated are the prices for purchases at the gallery.

Depending on the price of the object, its size and the location of the buyer we are able to offer the best transport solution which will be invoiced separately and carried out under the buyer's responsibility.

Stéphane Renard Fine Art

CATALOGUE

18th Century Oil Painting Louis XV