English, Lady Wearing a Hat Adorned with Feathres (circa 1790). Watercolour on ivory© The Tansey Collection
The masters covered in this show – including Augustin, Dumont, Sauvage and Vestier – usually have their portrayals of 18th century French aristocracy kept under lock and key in Germany.
But in a rare overseas excursion, this celebrated collection appears in London, replete with a Vestal Virgin, a baby in a basket, men with harps and the “Reine”, Queen Mary Antoinette – billed as a grand, decadent and indisputable figure here.
A court painter, Ignazio Pio Vittoriano Campana, is one of the artists to portray Antoinette. Adam Ludwug d’Argent paints Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II.
And the meticulous portraits, which were hugely popular at the time, take on a cast of other characters, from devoted lovers and eccentric hotheads to adored children and flattered officials.
The aesthetics of the French art are expressive and seductive. It’s easy to see why they were the inspiration of playwrights and poets.
- Philip Mould and Company, Dover Street, London. Open Monday-Friday 9.30am-6pm (or by appointment). Admission free. Follow the gallery on Twitter @philipmould.
More pictures:
Georges Nicolas Toussaint Augustin (Augustin Dubourg), Lady as Diana (circa 1780-5). Watercolour on ivory© The Tansey Collection
Ignazio Pio Vittoriano Campana, Marie Antionette, Queen of France (circa 1780-5). Watercolour on ivory© The Tansey Collection
The miniatures are rarely sent on show© The Tansey Collection
