Artwork

Portrait of Mme Antoinette-Louise Issard-Lacour, married to Ch. A. Bourlet de Vauxelles

Portrait of Mme Antoinette-Louise Issard-Lacour, married to Ch. A. Bourlet de Vauxelles is an unspecified painting by Unknown. It dates from 1750 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. The work is a mid‑eighteenth‑century portrait of Antoinette‑Louise Issard‑Lacour, identified as the wife of Charles A.

About this work

Overview

The work is a mid‑eighteenth‑century portrait of Antoinette‑Louise Issard‑Lacour, identified as the wife of Charles A. Bourlet de Vauxelles. Executed around 1750, the painting is part of the collection of the Museum of Ethnography.

Subject & Meaning

The sitter is depicted with a composed expression, her gaze directed slightly away from the viewer. She wears a tall powdered wig and an elaborately embroidered gown, holding a modest bouquet of flowers, gestures that convey both refinement and the genteel domesticity expected of a woman of her social standing.

Technique & Style

Rendered in oil on canvas, the portrait employs a restrained palette of bright hues for the dress against a stark black background. The artist uses subtle modelling of light on the fabric and face, creating a gentle chiaroscuro that gives the figure a three‑dimensional presence while the plain backdrop isolates her form.

History & Provenance

Created circa 1750, the painting entered the Museum of Ethnography’s holdings at an unspecified date, where it remains on display. Its attribution to the artist known only as “1826_person” reflects a cataloguing convention rather than a confirmed signature.

Context

The portrait reflects the conventions of French aristocratic portraiture in the mid‑1700s, where elaborate dress, powdered wigs, and symbolic accessories such as flowers signified status, virtue, and femininity within the Enlightenment’s visual culture.