Louis Ferdinand I Elle (1612-1689), Dit Elle Le Père-attributed. Portrait Of A Quality Lady

Louis Ferdinand I Elle (1612-1689), known as Elle the father-Attributed. Large Portrait of a lady of quality

Canvas 105 cm by 73 cm
Superb old frame of 125 cm by 94 cm

This beautiful painting represents a young woman, perhaps Anne-Geneviève de Bourbon-Condé, Duchess of Longueville. We know of another portrait very certainly of the same artist, of this daughter of Henri II de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, in the collections of the museum condé at the castle of Chantilly

Les Elle, family of painters

Family of painters of Flemish origin.

Ferdinand Elle the Elder (1585-1637) was born in Mechelen. Painter and engraver, he worked in Paris as a portrait painter at the court of Louis XIII. Among the rare works attributed to him is the Portrait of Henri de Lorraine, dated 1631 (Reims museum), a work that gives off an elegant impression through its refined gray palette.

Louis Ferdinand Elle, known as Elle le Père (1612-1689), trained by his father, continued the Flemish tradition of portraiture; his characters with elegant poses testify to a clear influence of Van Dyck. Louis Ferdinand She shared with the Beaubrun cousins the commissions for portraits of the precious world, transforming her models into divinities, such as the Lady in Minerva (Grobet-Labadié museum, Marseille). Member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, he held the position of professor there until 1681, when he was excluded as a Protestant; he will be reinstated after his abjuration five years later.

Louis Elle, known as Elle le Fils (1648-1717), son of Louis Ferdinand, was admitted to the Academy and had to renounce his Protestant faith. He devotes himself above all to portraiture - which has become a family tradition. His canvas representing Madame de Maintenon and her niece (Musée du Château de Versailles) is a good example of an evolution in the genre of official portraiture, from the second half of the century: the birth of the ceremonial portrait. The large composition, the accessories (an armchair and a table richly decorated), the heavy drapery of the background contrast with the still Nordic taste which brings out the flesh thanks to the dark fabrics, and which lets appear in the background a small landscape. . The solemn tone is often enhanced with seductive, brilliantly painted details: flowers, fabrics, etc.