Attributed to Nicolas Lavreince (1737 - 1807)

Attributed to Nicolas Lavreince dit Lavreince (1737-1807)
Prepared oil on panel French school, 18th century
Expert: Cabinet Turquin

Presented in a magnificent carved and gilded wooden frame, probably original (late 18th century) Sold separately for €900.


Elegant lively genre scene, attributed to Nicolas Lavreince dit Lavreince, depicting a gallant, theatrical episode in a military context.
At the center of the composition, a couple in 18th-century costume immediately catches the eye: a young woman in a light-colored dress, swept up in a graceful movement, seems to be fleeing or being dragged away by an officer dressed in red. In the background, a group of soldiers in formation lends dramatic tension to the scene, while on the right, other female figures contribute to the lively narrative, in a register that blends gallantry and anecdote.
The slightly vaporous treatment of the landscape, combined with a subtle, luminous palette, creates an elegant, refined atmosphere characteristic of 18th-century genre scenes.

This work is attributed to Nicolas Lavreince, a Swedish-born painter active in France, famous for his galant scenes and compositions inspired by the social and theatrical life of his time.
Several characteristic stylistic elements are found here

slender figures with graceful attitudes
sense of movement and narrative
delicate palette with clear, harmonious tones
taste for elegant scenes blending figures and landscape setting



Technical support

Oil on prepared panel, a technique frequently used for this type of refined, small-format compositions.
Condition

Ancient restorations.
Good condition for presentation.
Some wear and rework consistent with age.

The works of Nicolas Lavreince are sought after for their decorative quality and fine execution, in the tradition of 18th-century scènes galantes, at the crossroads of French and Nordic influence. The presence of a notice from the Cabinet Turquin reinforces the interest and credibility of this attribution.

Biography

Nicolas Lavreince was first trained by his father, Niclas Lafrensen dit "le Vieux", a renowned Swedish miniaturist. He naturally began his career in the art of miniature before moving to Paris in 1771, where he devoted himself to small portraits, executed in both watercolor and oil

Returning to Sweden in 1773, he was admitted to the Royal Academy in Stockholm and appointed court painter. The following year, however, he chose to return to Paris, where he pursued a particularly fruitful career until the French Revolution. There, he produced a large number of drawings in the Rococo style, destined to be translated into engravings. These compositions, imbued with lightness and elegance, are in the tradition of the scènes galantes popularized by artists such as Lancret, Pater and Fragonard.

These works, featuring subjects that are by turns graceful, witty or slightly libertine, were widely distributed thanks to their reproduction by numerous contemporary engravers, including Dequevauviller, Nicolas de Launay, Helman and Guttenberg.

After 1791, Lavreince returned to Stockholm, where he focused more on portraiture, small historical compositions and gallant scenes. These include Les Offres séduisantes, engraved around 1800, which testifies to the continuity of his elegant, narrative inspiration.