Oil painting, 'Portrait of Mademoiselle Doré', François-Hubert Drouais, before 1758

In an oval format, set against a neutral grey background, bust portrait of a young lady wearing a blue dress and a blue hat held by a large knot under her chin, holding a rose in her right hand and leaning against a parapet.

Bequeathed by John Jones

Bequeathed by John Jones, 1882

The painting was formerly attributed to a certain Mlle Doré, identified as Marie-Jeanne Doré, who is said to have painted miniature portraits, and appears to be the sister-in-law of the French painter François-Hubert Drouais.

The stylistic characteristics and the two copies after this painting suggest however that the painting was executed by François-Hubert Drouais himself rather than his young sister-in-law. This attribution is supported by M. Alastair Laing (written communication, Jan 2008).

The two copies, one in the Government Art Collection, London, and another sold at Sotheby's London, 1st Nov. 2007, lot 193, are moreover both attributed to Drouais. The inscription on the parapet reading 'Mlle Doré' seems therefore to allude to the identity of the sitter rather than that of the artist.

The sitter could in fact be identified with either the wife of the artist before their marriage (hence the inscription 'Mlle' which stands in French for 'Miss') or her sister, who came to live with the family after the wedding.

It is most likely however that the V&A painting portrayed the wife of the artist as the sitter is very similar to a portrait of Madame Drouais, wife of the artist, dated ca. 1758 (Louvre, Paris). In the same guise as in our painting, she has some wild roses pressed against her heart and wears a similar blue dress with a large blue knot under her chin.
Carnation and wild roses were often used as a symbol of bethrotal and love. This attribute would therefore illustrate appropriately the bond between the painter and his wife.

Based on the style of the dress, similar to the one in the Louvre portrait, this painting can be reasonably dated c. 1760.

Drouais was a successful portrait painter and was entrusted with a series of royal commissions. This portrait is a fine example of his art, which combines mastery and freshness.

Formerly attributed to 'Madame Doré'

François Hubert Drouais (1727-1775) was born in Paris. He trained with his father, Hubert Drouais (1699-1767) and then with Donat Nonotte (1708-1785), Carle van Loo (1705-1765), Charles-Joseph Natoire (1700-1777) and François Boucher (1703-1770). He became a member of the Académie Royale in 1755 and achieved quickly a great success as a portrait painter, receiving prestigious commissions, especially from the court.

This painting depicts a young lady whose costume is datable ca. 1760. She is identified by an inscription on the parapet reading ‘Mlle Doré’, which could refer to either the future wife of the painter, Anne-Françoise Doré or her sister, Marie-Jeanne. This painting is a good example of Drouais’ production of portraits, a category in which he specialised with success.

600-1882