Lady With Parrot And Fur Tour De Cou. Cm 32 X 27. France, 1756

Lady with Parrot and Fur Tour de Cou. Oil on canvas, 27 × 32 cm. France, 1756

Signed on the right fait par Cabaille 1756

Half-length portrait of a lady seated on a gilt Louis XV-style chair. The dress, in coral red taffeta, is decorated with vertical bands in dark fur, creating a striking geometric pattern across the bodice. The sleeves are wide, pagoda-shaped, with delicate white lace undersleeves.

Fur is used in multiple decorative accents, with lightness and inventiveness:

fur collar at the neck, closed with a small central red flower (a Rococo-era accessory now known as a choker),

hair ornament, a small elongated triangle of dark fur adorned with red flower appliqués,

soft fur trimmings along the neckline and sleeves, echoing the geometry of the bodice.

The green parrot held in her left hand is an exotic and orientalizing touch — a fashionable and frivolous accessory, much appreciated in eighteenth-century feminine portraiture.

The button earrings imitate two large rubies. They were likely made of glass or white stone, backed with metallic foil to create a jewel-like effect.

An ink inscription on the back of the stretcher likely identifies the sitter as Louise Duparray, born in 1730 and died in 1785.

Condition: a few tiny, insignificant paint losses. Lovely patina.