Francois Hubert Drouais (1727-1775) 'Portrait of Herault de Sechelles'

Oil on canvas
Drouais was trained by his artist father Hubert Drouais, amongst others, before becoming an associate member of the Academie Royale in 1755. He quickly built up a practice at the court of Louis XV and towards the end of 1756 he was summoned to Versailles to paint the two infant sons of the Dauphin. In 1758 Drouais was received as a full member of the Academie, and began painting a steady stream of portraits of notable personages, including Mme de Pompadour. In 1772 Louis XV himself sat for him and the painting was exhibited at the Salon in 1773, and now hangs in Versailles.Drouais was one of most fashionable court portraitists in mid-18th century France, few rivalled him at depicting feminine grace and beauty, and as a painter of children he was unequalled.A painting of this subject signed ‘Drouais le fils’ and dated 1763, measuring 71x59cms. was recorded in the Collection of the Duchesse de Crillon, and was exhibited in Berlin in 1910 at the Royal Academy of Arts.

71x59.7cms. (28x23 ½ins.)