Rare Allegorical Portrait Of A 17th Century Parliamentarian

French School of the XVIIth century, Preparatory sketch of an allegorical portrait of a parliamentarian or a lawyer in the Parliament of Paris, surrounded by allegories of justice, eloquence, good government and charity (?) Oil on canvas Size: 70 x 57.5 cm Dimension with frame: 82 x 69 cm This work is certainly a preparatory work for the final project of the painting, but in view of the size and the degree of finish it is certainly one of the last versions. In the portrait, it is a question of praising the portraiture, the allegories referring to the qualities of the latter. In the second half of the 17th century we saw the appearance of these astonishing portraits which insert a painted portrait in the figured space, contemporaries sometimes called it "portraits in painting". Our portrait can be dated to around 1660-1680. Relatively rare in the production of portraits, they were often used for effigies of high figures and in particular that of the king. The first type of portrait in the portrait, is the allegorical portrait. The portrait is carried, decorated, admired or simply surrounded by allegorical figures who personify and exalt the virtues of the model.