French court painter (ca. 1610) - Presumed Portrait of Jacqueline de Bueil

This high-quality portrait, which according to Prof. Philippe Bordes dates to the beginning of the 17th century, is certainly by a French hand and appears to be very close to Daniel Dumonstier (1574-1646). It is currently unconfirmed whether Dumonstier himself ever executed portraits in oil, and it is possible that these one day turn out to be by other artists from the same environment whose identity is presently unknown. At any rate, this elegant picture bears all the hallmarks of a work produced by an accomplished artist active at the Royal court in Paris.

Based on physical resemblance, it is likely that the sitter is Henry IV's mistress Jacqueline de Bueil (1588-1651), whose appearance is known to us from portraits taken at a slightly older age. Born as daughter of Claude de Bueil, Seigneur de Courcillon, Jacqueline was introduced to the court in 1604 and almost immediately gained the king's favour. With the king, she had a son, Antoine de Bourbon-Bueil (b. 1606), who was legitimized in 1608 and later ruled the grand Abbaye Saint-Étienne de Caen.

Daniel Dumonstier was court painter of Henry IV, Louis XIII and Gaston d’Orléans. He was also an important connoisseur and collector, and was accomplished in many fields, including music. His portraits were often executed in coloured chalks. Large groups of portraits by Dumonstier are in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris (see J. Adhémar, Les dessins de Daniel Dumonstier au Cabinet des Estampes, Gazette des Beaux-Arts, March 1970, LXXV, pp. 129–150) and in the Louvre, Paris (see J. Guiffrey and P. Marcel, Inventaire général des dessins du Musée du Louvre et du Musée de Versailles, Ecole Francaise, Paris 1949, V, nos. 3799–3827). The earliest portrait from these groups is that of N. Brulart, Marquis de Sillery, dated 1605, which was also in Lagoy’s collection.

The Flemish-style frame that comes with the painting is offered as a courtesy.
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