Lot with His Daughters

De Troy employs a chiaroscuro scheme, using a subdued, smoky sky as a dark backdrop while a soft, diffused light illuminates the flesh tones and drapery.

De Troy employs a chiaroscuro scheme, using a subdued, smoky sky as a dark backdrop while a soft, diffused light illuminates the flesh tones and drapery. The palette is dominated by deep reds and pale skin hues, creating a contrast that emphasizes the figures’ forms. The rendering of the cloud and the delicate modeling of the nude figure reveal the artist’s skill in handling oil paint to achieve atmospheric depth.

After its completion in 1721, the painting entered the collection of the Russian imperial court and eventually became part of the State Hermitage Museum’s holdings. Its presence in the Hermitage reflects the 18th‑century Russian interest in acquiring French art, particularly works that combined religious narrative with the decorative elegance favored by the court.

Created during the early Rococo period, the work reflects a shift from the grand, dramatic Baroque toward a lighter, more intimate visual language. De Troy’s choice to portray a biblical story with sensual undertones aligns with contemporary tastes for combining moral subjects with decorative appeal, a hallmark of French court painting in the early 1700s.