Portrait Of A Lady Of Quality, Workshop Of François De Troy (1645-1730), Circa 1700.

This oil on canvas measures 77cm by 60cm and its very beautiful frame (period) in carved and gilded wood 103cm by 88cm. Sold with a certificate of authenticity This very beautiful quality portrait of a woman is characteristic of the work of François de Troy and the production of his workshop François de Troy (Toulouse 1645 - Paris 1730) François de Troy, from a family of Toulouse artists, made a name for himself very early on with the creation of coats of arms for the solemn entry of the Prince of Conti into Toulouse in 1662. He was then found 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 at the Academy in 1671 then received in 1674 with "Mercury and Argus". Through his attendance at Claude Lefebvre's studio, he turned to the art of portraiture, of which he would become one of the greatest representatives at the end of the reign of Louis XIV and the Regency. It is thought that through his friendship with Charles Le Brun, the King's first painter, he was put in contact with Madame de Montespan, who would make him one of her regular artists. The impetuous favourite's connections would allow him to come into contact with the royal family and all that mattered at court and in Paris. He would also be the portraitist of the royal family of England, exiled in France at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye from 1689. A fine courtier, François de Troy then became attached to the Duke of Maine, Louis XIV's beloved bastard, and to 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 its director from 1708 to 1711. He was also called upon several times by the Parisian aldermen for religious commissions. 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.