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JEAN-FRANÇOIS HEIM
TABLEAUX - DESSINS - SCULPTURES
JEAN-BAPTISTE PERRONNEAU
Paris 1715 - Amsterdam 1783
French school
PORTRAIT OF A GENTLEMAN
Oil on canvas
H. 0,65 m; W. 0,53 m
Signed and dated upper right: Perronneau / 1765
DATE: 1765
PROVENANCE:
Collection René Benjamin
Private collection, France
LITERATURE:
Léandre Vaillat and Paul Ratouis de Limay, J.-B. Perronneau, sa vie et son œuvre, Paris,
1923, p. 89 et 223, pl. 26.
Jean-Baptiste Perronneau studied at first the engraving with Laurent Cars, then the
painting with Charles-Joseph Natoire. He became member of the Académie royale in 1753.
Bright artist, he excelled particularly at the art of the pastel. Perronneau practiced in Paris and
in many cities of France where he painted the local bourgeoisie. Afterward, his career was
punctuated with journeys in Russia, Poland, Holland and Italy. Today he is considered as the
equal of Quentin de la Tour, and even preferred for the biggest sincerity of his portraits.
Portraits in oil of Perronneau are rare. The light touch characteristic of his pastels is
also present in his portraits painted in oil, this one is a good example. MM. Vaillat and
Ratouis de Limay make a very precise description1, compared with a pastel belonging to Mrs
Fellows's collection: " There is in Mr. René Benjamin's collection a man's portrait which
offers some analogy with the precedent. Although it is about an oil painting and not about a
pastel, about a rectangular frame and not about an oval, about a portrait of face and not
about three quarters, the man is about the same age, wears a dress of the same tone - this
delicious green blue familiar to Perronneau-, with the same braids and golden buttons. The
portrait is cut up to the waist, but we do not see any more this time a three-cornered hat
1
Léandre Vaillat et Paul Ratouis de Limay, J.-B. Perronneau, sa vie et son œuvre, Paris, 1923, p. 89.
134, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, France
Tél. : +33 1 53 75 06 46 - Fax : +33 1 53 75 06 50
[email protected] - www.galerieheim.fr
Jean-François HEIM – EURL au capital de 7622,45 €
RC Paris : B 391 376 415 code APE : 525 Z
N° d’identification européen FR 32391376415
JEAN-FRANÇOIS HEIM
TABLEAUX - DESSINS - SCULPTURES
crossed under the arm, nor of decoration on the lace jabot which escapes from the halfopened vest. It seems also that there is more plenitude in the lines, more gentleness and spirit,
a nose and lips more sensual. We can read the signature of the artist so spelt: Perronneau,
and the date 1765. Mr. René Benjamin whom we questioned, was able only to indicate us that
this portrait resulted from the castle of Saché, near Tours, the famous Saché from where is
dated a part of the correspondence of Balzac, 7 kilometers from Azay-le-Rideau, that is in a
region where we found other works of the artist. "
Our painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the work of the
artist in preparation by Madame Dominique d' Arnoult.
134, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, France
Tél. : +33 1 53 75 06 46 - Fax : +33 1 53 75 06 50
[email protected] - www.galerieheim.fr
Jean-François HEIM – EURL au capital de 7622,45 €
RC Paris : B 391 376 415 code APE : 525 Z
N° d’identification européen FR 32391376415