Pair Of Portraits By Robert Gardelle (1692-1766), One Dated 1729, In Their Original Frames

Robert Gardelle (Geneva 1692-1766)
Swiss painter
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Presumed portraits of Antoine Borel (1698-1759), maître-indienneur in Neuchâtel and his wife, Elisabeth Jeanrenaud (1701-?)
Original canvas
Original frames in gilded wood with flowered angles, attributable to the Funk workshops in Bern
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64 x 80 cm
71 x 87 cm [frame]
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On the back of the portrait of Monsieur, the handwritten inscription "Painted by R. Gardelle / in 1729"
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Robert Gardelle was born on April 6, 1692 in Geneva and died in the same city on March 7, 1766. Painter, portrait painter and engraver, he is nicknamed "the Younger" to distinguish him from his brother Daniel (1679-1753), a miniaturist painter established in England. After a stay in Berlin, he left for Paris where he became a pupil of Nicolas de Largillierre.
Back in Geneva in 1713, he specialized in portraiture. His paintings allowed him to quickly attract a large clientele throughout Switzerland, where he painted portraits of the main personalities [including Rousseau, in particular, in 1754].
If the portrait of Monsieur is signed on the back by Gardelle, that of Madame bears no mention. However, we find in the treatment of this very beautiful portrait the major influence exerted on Gardelle by his Parisian master; the invoice of the garment, in particular, is closely inspired by the way of Nicolas de Largillierre.
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These two paintings, in excellent condition origin, were cleaned and the frames slightly restored [in the lower part, especially] in August 2020.