François de Troy (1645-1730) - Portrait of a Lady of Quality and Her Daughter

Francois of Troy
Born in Toulouse on January 9, 1645 and died in Paris on May 1, 1730
“Portrait of a Lady of Quality and Her Daughter Holding a Score”
Oil on canvas. 92.5cm x 75cm
Wood and stucco frame, 18th century style, gilded with gold

François de Troy was born in Toulouse in 1645. Jean de Troy, his father, was a painter at the Hôtel de Ville and gave him the first lessons in his art. He had received from nature the talents which make a great painter. He made the trip to Paris in his early youth. He studied first under Nicolas Loir and some time later (in 1628) under Claude Lefèvre, a famous portrait painter. This, together with his lack of fortune and brilliant successes, determined him for this genre in which he soon excelled.
His genius was vast, fruitful, and such as a history painter needs. Some works that we see of him are proof of this. It was as a history painter that he was received into the Royal Academy in 1694, where he subsequently held all the positions.
A worthy pupil of Lefèvre, his works, full of intelligence and finesse, charmed by their coloring. He deserved and received the highest praise for portraits of women. Without altering its features, he had the art of adding grace and nobility to it. Chosen by Louis XIV to paint the portrait of the Dauphine, he left for Bavaria and showed how much he deserved the preference with which the king had honored him. His reputation was then at its height. The greats of the court wanted to occupy his brush. He died in 1730, aged 85. He had married in 1669. He left a son worthy heir to his talents.