Madame de Saint-Morys (Eléonore Elisabeth Angélique de Beauterne, 1742–1824)

1776
Not on view
Applying the final stages of makeup and clothing in the presence of close friends and acquaintances—even potential suitors—was a standard part of elite social life known as la toilette and was a frequent conceit in eighteenth-century portraiture. Duplessis has skillfully depicted Madame de Saint-Morys next to her dressing table with a sympathetic naturalism that was praised by critics at the Salon of 1777. The sitter’s husband was a key patron of Jean-Baptiste Greuze and a major collector of drawings, including sheets by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Albrecht Dürer, and Rembrandt that are today in the Musée du Louvre.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Madame de Saint-Morys (Eléonore Elisabeth Angélique de Beauterne, 1742–1824)
  • Artist: Joseph Siffred Duplessis (French, Carpentras 1725–1802 Versailles)
  • Date: 1776
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 39 1/2 x 31 7/8 in. (100.3 x 81 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of James A. Aborn, 1968
  • Object Number: 69.161
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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