François De Troy (1645-1730) Portrait Of Paul Etienne Brunet d'Evry Seine Et Marne

François de TROY
(Toulouse, 1645 – Paris, 1730)
Portrait of Paul Etienne Brunet d'Evry (1653-1717)
Oil on canvas
H. 133 cm; L. 98 cm (Frame: H. 155 cm; L. 120 cm)

Provenance: Remained in the model's family and home until the very end of the 20th century.

Coming from a family of Toulouse artists, François de Troy made a name for himself very early on with the creation of coats of arms for the solemn entry of the Prince de Conti into Toulouse in 1662. We then found him in Paris where he continued his training in the workshop of Nicolas Loir, then of Jean I Cotelle, whose daughter he married in 1668. First a history painter, he was approved by the Academy in 1671 then received in 1674 with “Mercure et Argus”. Through his attendance at Claude Lefebvre's workshop, he turned towards the art of portraiture, of which he would be one of the greatest representatives of the end of the reign of Louis XIV and the Regency. It is believed that thanks to his friendship with Charles Le Brun, the King's first painter, he was put in contact with Madame de Montespan, who made him one of her official artists. The impetuous favorite's interpersonal skills will allow her to come into contact with the royal family and everything that matters at court and in Paris. He will also be the portraitist of the royal family of England, exiled in France at the castle of Saint-Germain-en-Laye from 1689. A fine courtier, François de Troy then attached himself to the Duke of Maine, Louis' beloved bastard XIV and his influential wife, daughter of the Prince of Condé. Assistant professor in 1692, he was appointed professor at the Academy the following year. He was director from 1708 to 1711. He was also asked several times by Parisian aldermen for religious orders. His son Jean-François (1679 – 1752) collaborated with him at the end of his career before taking up the torch and perpetuating the family glory.


In the work of François de Troy, we find a portrait of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Marquis de Torcy, who is none other than the older brother of the husband of Marie Brunet d'Evry, daughter of our man. We are therefore in the presence of family but also social ties, sharing the same painters. Our work, produced during the first years of the 18th century, was most certainly kept at the Château d'Evry in Seine et Marne since its completion. The lordship of Evry was acquired by Paul Etienne Brunet in 1698 and seems to still be in the possession of his descendants. Our canvas only left the house at the end of the 20th century without the painter being known. A major financier of the reign of Louis In 1678 he married a cousin of the great Colbert, which must have greatly helped his social advancement at court. Typical of the work of François de Troy, this large portrait holds part of its originality from the cartel which is to the left of the composition, above the desk. Should this clock which marks five minutes to two have any meaning? Above the dial, you discreetly see the arms of Brunet d'Evry.