Updated 13 June 2025
Currently not on display
Currently not on display
Portrait of Madame Marie-Henriette Berthelot de Pléneuf
| Date | 1739 |
|---|---|
| Materials and Techniques | oil on canvas |
| Size（cm） | 101.8 x 82.8 |
| Inscriptions | Signed and dated lower left on jar: Nattier. p. / 1739 |
| Credit Line | Purchased |
| Category | Paintings |
| Collection Number | P.1979-0002 |
Nattier was influenced by Nicolas de Largillièrre and brought about the revival of the Fontainebleau school through his depiction of the aristocratic women of the court in the guise of mythological figures. This is a typical example from his large production of this type of work. Here the model is shown as the personification of rivers or springs. This elegant image with its silvery gray tonalities allows us a glimpse of Nattier's technique, although at the time he was criticized for his over-idealization of the model. In his later years Nattier diverged from the taste of the period. (Source: Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 2009, cat. no.51)
Provenance
Mme Marie-Henriette Berthelot de Pléneuf, Paris; Marquis Riocourt, Château de Virty, Virty La Ville; Abby Aldrich, New York; John D. Rockfeller, Jr., New York; John D. Rockfeller, III, New York; Newhouse Galleries Inc., New York, by which sold to the NMWA, 1979.
Exhibition History
- 1997
- Resonating Love and Life: European Art from National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, The Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Nagaoka, 12 April 1997 - 18 May 1997, cat. no. 8
Bibliography
- 1981
- Annual Bulletin of the National Museum of Western Art. No. 14 (1979), 1981, New Acquisitions (Painting). pp. 4-5, 9, New Acquisitions (Catalogue). pp. 14-15, repr.
- 1983
- Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1983 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 33, repr.
- 1989
- Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1989 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 40, repr.
- 1990
- Catalogue of painting acquisitions: 1979-1989. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1990, pp. 50-52, repr.
- 2006
- Masterpieces of The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art; Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2006 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 51, col. repr.
- 2009
- Masterpieces of The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art; Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2009, no. 51, col. repr.
- 2013
- Masterpieces: The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2013 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 63, col. repr.