Artwork
Portrait of the Princess of Lamballe
Portrait of the Princess of Lamballe is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Antoine-François Callet. It dates from 1788 and is held in the collection of the Palace of Versailles.
About this work
Overview
Antoine‑François Callet painted the Portrait of the Princess of Lamballe in 1788. Executed in oil, the work belongs to the late Rococo style and is part of the collection at the Palace of Versailles. It presents Marie‑Thérèse of Savoy, the Princesse de Lamballe, in a seated pose that emphasizes her attire and coiffure.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, Marie‑Thérèse, appears in a dark gray dress trimmed with white lace at the neckline and wrists, holding a bouquet of pink roses. Her hair is arranged high and adorned with pink flowers, while loose curls frame her face, underscoring her aristocratic status and the fashion of the French court in the years preceding the Revolution.
Technique & Style
Callet employs soft modelling of light and shadow to render the princess’s facial features and the folds of her garment, creating a polished surface typical of elite portraiture of the period. The subtle chiaroscuro lends depth without dramatic contrast, aligning the work with the refined aesthetic of late Rococo portraiture.
History & Provenance
A prize‑winning academician, Callet had been admitted to the Académie des beaux‑arts in 1779 after winning the grand prix de Rome in 1764. He produced the Lamballe portrait while also exhibiting allegorical pieces such as Le printemps. The painting entered the royal collection and remains housed at Versailles.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Antoine-François Callet (1741–1823), generally known as Antoine Callet, was a French painter of portraits and allegorical works, who acted as official portraitist to Louis XVI.
Portrait of Princess Frederika Sophia Wilhelmina (1751-1820)
Marie-Adélaïde de France, dite Madame Adélaïde
Elisabeth Wilhelmine von Württemberg (1767-1790), 1. Gemahlin von Franz II. (I.), an einem Tisch sitzend, Kniestück
Madame Victoire of France
María Pilar de la Cerda y Marín de Resende, Duchess of Nájera
Lady Sunderlin
Erzherzogin Maria Christine (1742-1798), Herzogin von Sachsen - Teschen, in gestreiftem Seidenkleid, Halbfigur
Portrait of an unknown Lady in a pink dress
Naisen muotokuva
Marie-Louise-Thérèse-Victoire de France, dite Madame Victoire (1733-1799)
Anna Constanze Gräfin von Cosel (1680-1765)
Marie-Thérèse-Louise de Savoie-Carignan, Princess of Lamballe