Attributed To Delyen (1684-1761) Portrait Of A Woman Playing The Lute

Jacques-François DELYEN (attributed to)
(Ghent 1684 – Paris 1761)
Portrait of a woman playing the lute
Oil on canvas
H. 101 cm; W. 80 cm

In the heart of the 18th century, there were not many great French portrait painters. However, some portraits remained anonymous, for want of being able to award a certain attribution. At first glance at our canvas, the name of Hyacinthe Rigaud jumps out at you, but it lacks the finesse and the downy side of the master. The type of background used is quite typical of Rigaud, and a few very similar portraits, taking up the colors of the dress, the presence of the red carnation, are found in his corpus. Should we therefore see in this portrait of a musician the hand of a student or a member of the workshop?