Portrait of mme Chevotet

(Jean-Baptiste Perroneau)

This painting portrays the wife of the architect Jean-Michel Chevotet, a friend of Perroneau from his youth in Orleans. The Orleans Museum has in its collections another portrait of this sitter, en pendant to the one of her husband, dated 1751.

By 1748 Perroneau had abandoned his early career as an engraver and since 1746 was agree at the Academie, allowing him to exhibit portraits in both oils and pastel at the Salons of 1746, 1747 and 1748. At the latter Salon, the critic Saint Yves wrote: “qui peut aussi dans le genre de la our, voler comme lui de merveilles en merveilles? Ce sera Monsieur Perroneau, s’il veut continuer ainsi qu’il a commence”. (Who other than La Tour can also become continually more marvellous? It will be Monsieur Perroneau, if he continues as he has begun).

Tours, Roux Collection (his sale, Paris, 17-20 February 1868, no. 480);
Alfred Mame Collection (his sale, Paris, 26 Avril 1904, no. 64, ill.), repurchased for FF 70000 by
Armand Mame (his sale, Paris 14 Jiun 1960, no. 17, ill. pl. III).

Roger-Miles, D., Cent Pastels, 1908, p. 75, ill.
Vaillat L. and Ratouis de Limay P., J. B. Perroneau, Paris, 1909, p. 15 and p. 135, ill. pl. 48.
Vaillat L. and Ratouis de Limay P., J. B. Perroneau, sa vie, son oeuvre, Paris, no. 21 and p. 89, ill. pl. 61.
Ratouis de Lima P., Le pastel en france au XVIIIeme siecle, Paris, 1946, ill. pl. XX.

Paris, Cent Pastels, Galerie Georges Petit, 1908.