Signed Donatien Nonnotte (1708-1785), Portrait Of A Lord In Armor

Remarkable painting of the 18th century, representing a lord in armor, directed by Donatien Nonnotte, student emeritus of François Lemoyne. Our portrait is above all striking with realism and combines the charms of color with the grace of the brush. Nonnotte has indeed been very careful to accurately capture his color palettes and put them in the movement and in the game that are suitable for the expression of our portrait. They thus contribute to evoke the feelings of the soul and serve to bring out the qualities of the various temperaments, by giving life to our painting and by provoking the most seductive illusions! The maturity of our lord full of fire, here is represented by tones of decided and warm colors, revealing its dispositions, its vivacity and its acquired strengths. The pictorial mastery of Nonnotte associated with his great talent as a colorist are such that our man displays a real presence and exudes a powerful force. With a benevolent look, our Lord is wearing an evanescent powdered wig. A jabot of fine white lace tied at the neck protrudes from the armor. The treatment of the light that hangs on the metal is remarkable. Our painting dates from the middle of the 18th century, around 1750. It is signed on the reverse of the painting "Nonnotte pinx" to mention that "Donatien Nonnotte painted" this work. It is presented in an oval frame finely carved with oak leaves, holly and heart stripes, all in its gilding of origin. Oil on canvas (81 cm x 64.5 cm) and its frame (100.5 cm x 84.5 cm). Literature Donat Nonnotte, born February 10, 1708 in Besançon, is a French painter, specialist portraits. From an old Besançon family, Nonnotte announced, from his childhood, a very lively taste for the arts. After completing his classical studies, he entered the studio of one of his parents, whom he soon surpassed. He went to Paris in 1728, and was soon admitted to the school of the first painter of the king, François Lemoyne, whose biography he was to write later. He made rapid progress, especially in the portrait section, under the direction of Lemoine, who distinguished him from his other pupils, and employed him in painting the backdrops and accessories of the cupola of the chapel of the Virgin, at St. Sulpice, and the ceiling of the Salon d'Hercule at Versailles. He composed at the same time some history paintings, among others one whose subject is the surprise of Besançon by the Protestants, in 1575, a piece in which the artist has multiplied the allegorical characters. Nonnotte had obtained from the Duc d'Antin the promise of a place of boarding school at the school of Rome, but the death of the latter, followed shortly after that of Lemoine, annihilated all his hopes. Obliged to seek resources in his talents, he devoted himself to the genre of portraiture, which he treated in a superior manner. Those whom he exhibited in the salon opened to him, in 1741, the doors of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, as a portrait painter, for the portraits of d'Ulin and Leclerc the son. Appointed painter of the city of Lyon, in 1754, he settled in this city where he remained until his death and founded there a free school of drawing, become the model of all those of this kind, and where he was the master of several portraitists, including Jean-François Gille, and François-Hubert Drouais. Concerning the Valtesse Gallery ● Our paintings are carefully selected according to their quality, their age and their good condition of conservation. ● We offer for sale only old-time paintings. ● You want to decorate your home or make an investment, we will be happy to answer your questions! ● We deliver our paints worldwide and we take care to make very secure packaging. ● Our tables are not all listed on Proantic, so in order to see our entire catalog, you can consult our website: www.galerievaltesse.com ● We offer the possibility of payment in several times without fees. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information. ● In addition to our own expertise, many of our works of art are authenticated by a famous cabinet of experts in old paintings located in Paris.