#pierre mignard

[roehenstart]

Louis XIV of France. Circle of Pierre Mignard.

[granstromjulius]

Pierre Mignard I

[mercuriicultores]

~1688, Pierre Mignard, San Juan Bautista

[kaitropoli]

"Louise-Marie de Bourbon, dite Mademoiselle de Tours; La fillette aux bulles de savon"

By Pierre Mignard

Oil Painting, 1681.

Château de Versailles.

PORTRAIT SUBJECT

La fillette aux bulles de savon, or the commonly found English title, Girl Blowing Soap Bubbles, is a portrait of innocence during the Franco-Dutch War.

The child shown is Louise-Marie de Bourbon, the daughter of the Sun King, Louis XIV, and his Maîtresse-en-titre, Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart (Madame de Montespan). I'm sorry, I don't know why they popped off with the names like that when they're planning to reuse Marie and Louis fifty times over ptdr. Louise-Marie, affectionately known as Toutou, was an illegitimate birth (1674), later legitimized by her father when she was around two years old. She held the title of Mademoiselle de Tours from then until her untimely death in 1681.

According to sources, Mignard's painting of the six-year-old girl was finished posthumously. But, her innocence is held delicately, frozen in time on canvas.

THEMES OF CHILDHOOD INNOCENCE (TL;DR: YAPANESE)

Mignard's choice to paint Louise-Marie as an actual child was uncommon for the time (even centuries later, believe it or not; maybe not so good examples, but for argument-sake: Louis XV by Hyacinthe Rigaud, Mariana Victoria of Spain by Nicolas de Largillierre, Phillip II, Duke of Orléans, Reagent of France by Largillierre, and Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans, "Mademoiselle de Chartres" by Largillierre -- apologies for throwing you strays, man, I'm trying to finish writing this and your children portraits were on the same website next to each other x), as young royalty are painted either as babies (unbreeched/baptize gown) or as tiny adults (fixed in uncomfortable poses and wearing clothes a monarch would), no in between. Here, Louise-Marie is playing with bubbles, her dog jumping towards it, and she looks carefree, still with chubby cheeks of rose. It doesn't help much that children were seen as heirs to the family fortune, especially during a time when parents had multiple kids due to illness (premature death) and bringing in income (need I explain more... *cough cough* coal mines... a bit anachronistic, sorry breaker boys, some other time we'll discuss y'all).

A painting such as this one, showing a realistic human experience from a royal status and that of a child BEING a child, innocence still intact, is quite important, even in today's form. We take childhood for granted, and kids are forced to grow up despite having more rights now than before. It can be a portrait to remind us that innocence is vital (a lack of childhood is detrimental as the experience is needed in order to mature mentally and emotionally when entering the teen and adult stages of life), but also that we as humans weren't so different from back then (sure, you can claim we bathe more than they do despite your husband still not washing his ass, but my heavens, did the thought 'wait, they had bubbles back then' ever occur to you?).

Genuinely, I was going to pull a La Muse Verte (the post where I briefly explained the history of absinthe) and go into the history of bubbles... because you gotta admit, that'd be fun for the both of us. However, delving into the background and theme of this painting became more heartbreaking for me. The bubble idea isn't gone, but it'll be postponed as a full history lesson post (and, yes, Mignard's painting of the immortalized Toutou will be recycled).

FURTHER READING (EXTRA SYMBOLISTIC DETAIL)

Plenty more symbolism is present, but I highly recommend you all check out L'Art en Tête's in-depth article on Mignard's beautiful portrait. I did regurgitate some of the author's points in this because I thought they were brilliant, and you can tell they have an art-history degree, so I'm begging you to go over there for more detail if interested!

[galleryofunknowns]

Attributed to Claude Lefebvre (b.1632 - d.1675), 'Portrait of a Girl, presumed to be Marie Anne de Bourbon (b.1666 - d.1739), Mademoiselle de Blois', oil on canvas, c.1674, French, currently in the collection of the Louvre, on long term loan to the Palace of Versailles, France.

Alternatively attributed to Pierre Mignard and Constantijn Netscher (b.1668 - d.1723); formerly in the collection of Dr. Louis la Caze.

[gogmstuff]

More early post-Louis XIV fashion -

ca. 1717 Seated woman holding a fan by Antoine Watteau (Metropolitan Museum of Aty - New York City, New York, USA). From their Web site 2400X3882.

ca. 1718 Dorothy Walpole, Viscountess Townshend by Charles Jervas (Dulwich Picture Gallery - London, UK). From the-athenaeum.org; enlarged by half 1161X1416.

Probably Dorothy, Viscountess Townshend, by Charles Jervas (National Portrait Gallery - London, UK). From Wikimedia 2400X3161.

ca. 1719 Maria Clementina Sobieska by ? (National Portrait Gallery - London, UK). From Wikimedia; fixed spots & some cracks w Pshop 2076X2623.

1719 Anna Catharina Herport by Johann Rudolf Huber (private collection). From Wikimedia; fixed spots w Pshop 1693X2067.

[page-28]

[portraituresque]

Self Portrait 

Pierre Mignard

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Pierre Mignard (French, 1612-1695) Le Délivrance d'Andromède, 1679 Musée du Louvre, Paris

[roehenstart]

Philippe I, Duke of Orléans. Circle of Pierre Mignard.

[nancydrewwouldnever]

Pierre Mignard, Louise de Kéroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth, with an unknown female attendant, 1682, oil/canvas (National Portrait Gallery, London)

Apparently, I am on a portraits of royal mistresses kick. Yesterday, Pompadour and Louis XV. Today, Louise and Charles II.

[oliviaalexandraamores]

“The Marquise de Seignelay and Two of her Sons” (details) by Pierre Mignard, 1691 📿

[hzaidan]

05 Paintings of Olympian deities in classical Greek and Roman religions; Andromeda Chained to the Rock by the Nereids, with footnotes

05 Paintings of Olympian deities in classical Greek and Roman religions; Andromeda Chained to the Rock by the Nereids, with footnotes

Gustave Doré (1832–1883)Andromeda, c. 1869Oil on canvasheight: 256.5 cm (100.9 in); width: 172.7 cm (67.9 in)Private collection In Greek mythology, Andromeda was the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, king and queen of the North African kingdom of Aethiopia (the Upper Nile region)… Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré (6 January 1832–23 January 1883) was a French artist, printmaker, illustrator…

[kalahs-beautiful-realm]

Art by, Pierre Mignard, [1610-1695]

(Time Clipping Cupid's Wings. 1695.

[gogmstuff]

Some post Louis XIV fashion -

1715 Jeanne-Cecil Le Guay de Montgermon, three quarter length in a white satin robe with gold trimming and a ruby and pearl brooch by Nicolas de Largillière (Robilant & Voena, specific location ?). From their Web site; From their Web site; fixed spots in background with Photoshop and increased color saturation. 2721X3532.

1716 Mary Josephine Drummond, condesa de Castelblanco by Jean Baptiste Oudry (Museo del Prado - Madrid, Spain). From their Web site;fixed spots w Pshop 2045X2717.

ca. 1715 Louise Adélaïde de Bourbon by Pierre Gobert (Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon - Versailles, Île-de-France, France) photo - Gérard Blot. From Réunion des Musées nationaux; enlarged by half 726X956.

ca. 1715 Sarah Lascelles (1656/1659–1743), Mrs Joshua Iremonger II, then Mrs Christopher Lethieullier by Michael Dahl I (Uppark House and Garden - South Harting, Petersfield, West Sussex, UK). From bbc.co (now artuk.org) 652X800.

ca. 1716 Friedrich Ludwig of Württemberg and his wife Henriette Marie of Brandenburg-Schwedt by Antoine Pesne (Staatliches Museum Schwerin - Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany). From Wikimedia; removed spots and linear and splotch flaws with. Photoshop 2078X2763.

ca. 1716 Marie Louise Adélaïde d'Orléans the future Abbess of Chelles, daughter of the Regent of France by Pierre Gobert (Domaine de Sceaux - Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France). From Wikimedia; fixed spots w Pshop 1069X1235.

ca. 1717 Madame de Ventadour by Pierre Mignard (Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon - Versailles, Île-de-France, France). From Wikimedia 1516X2000.The abundant lace ruffles on her sleeves point to the future while the headdress looks back to Fontanges and cleft coiffures.

Lady, said to be Marie-Elisabeth Le Fèvre de Caumartin (d. 1717) by Nicolas de Largillière (Sotheby's - 13Jun07 auction Lot 56). From their Web site; fixed obvious spots & cracks w Pshop 2396X2866.