Offered by Galerie Nicolas Lenté
16th to 18th century furniture, paintings and works of art
Portrait of a Young Woman as Flora
by Pierre Allais (Paris, 1700/1705 - 1781/1782)
Oil on canvas: h. 99 cm, w. 80 cm
Large Louis XIV period giltwood and carved frame
Framed dimensions: h. 124 cm, w. 105 cm
Signed "allais" and dated 175? in the right corner above the hand (the last number illegible)
(probably between 1751 and 1756, the period when Pierre Allais exhibited at the salons of the Académie de Saint Luc in Paris)
Dressed as Flora, the goddess of spring, the young woman is portrayed in all her splendor, against the landscaped backdrop of a castle park, as evidenced by an elegant Medici terracotta vase placed in the background to the model's left.
Seen up to her knees, seated, her body turned three-quarters, she looks at the viewer head-on with her large brown eyes. Her face is skillfully modeled with translucent glazes and a blended touch that softens the features and contributes to the velvety appearance of the whole. Her blushed cheeks enliven the pearly white complexions. Her powdered hair is curled and tied back in a bun, freeing her forehead and slightly covering her ears. A few flowers are pinned in her hair.
Dressed in a pearl gray satin negligee with a neckline on the right shoulder, adorned at her waist and sleeves with a row of pearls, she unfurls a garland of flowers in her hands. A large piece of green fabric with elegantly arranged draperies covers her knees.
Her small pet dog, sitting at her side with an alert gaze, head turned to the left, wears a garland of flowers around its neck like a collar.
The artist introduces an imposing hollyhock into this imaginary landscape. This plant, a symbol of fertility, was deliberately chosen and could indicate that this is a portrait executed just after the model's engagement or marriage.
Far from the ceremonial portraits, whose extravagance of expensive fabrics and profusion of jewels were in vogue in late 17th century, the disguise as Flora with timeless antique clothing allows to ignore the quality of the person and their social status in favor of the feminine charms and the more authentic character of the model. The art of portraiture under Louis XV is marked by a search for simplicity, naturalness and a certain nonchalance, aspiring to penetrate into the intimacy of the model, which will become the rule in the Age of Enlightenment.
Pierre Allais , born in Paris in 1700/1705 and died in the same city in 1781/1782, was a French painter and pastellist. Pierre Allais was admitted to the Académie de Saint-Luc in 1745, an institution on the fringes of the Académie Royale; he probably also worked there as an assistant professor. He exhibited numerous pastel and oil works there between 1751 and 1756. His models came from both the wealthy classes and the artistic milieu. His work reveals the personality of an artist particularly sensitive to feminine beauty. In this respect, the grace touching the models, influenced by the art of Jean-Marc Nattier, is one of the major traits of Allais.
