French School, 1766 - Lot 85

Lot n° 85
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Estimation :
3000 - 5000 EUR
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Result : 2 700EUR
French School, 1766 - Lot 85
French School, 1766 Portraits of Nicolas Jourdain (born in 1732) and his wife Marie Mortet (1733–1767) Pair of original canvases Height: 64 cm Width: 54 cm Inscription on the reverse of the canvas: “N. JOURDAIN WAS / PAINTED AT THE AGE / OF 34” and “MARIE MORTET / WIFE OF . NICOLAS / JOURDAIN . MERCHANT / IN LANGRES . ON / DECEMBER 23, 1767 / SHE PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE / OF 34 YEARS / IN . WAS. PAINTED. IN / 1766 AT THE AGE . OF 33 YEARS' Nicolas Jourdain and Marie Mortet were married at Saint-Pierre Church in Langres on October 21, 1755, and had two children: the first, named Nicolas after his father, born in 1757, and Jeanne, born in 1762 (source: Généanet). They are dressed in the Parisian fashion of the Louis XV era, reflecting a certain level of affluence: he wears a pink jacket and shirt, along with a wig and a catogan. Marie Mortet is dressed in a French-style gown adorned with charming lace trims. It is likely made of silk, a solid pearl gray color, with ruffle motifs. Described on the reverse as a merchant and as a trader in the Langres archives, it would be tempting to link our male subject to a family of artisans working in cutlery. Since the 14th century, Langres had specialized in the manufacture of knives and cutting instruments, for surgeons for example. This industry reached its peak in the 18th century, with the city boasting approximately 100 master cutlers in 1740. A silversmith named Nicolas Jourdain was admitted to the guild in 1734 (the Louvre Museum owns a set of tableware bearing his hallmark, circa 1766–1768, Department of Decorative Arts, no. OA 9755, and other silverwork pieces by him are known). This name is also associated with a cotton textile factory established after 1760 (Georges Viard, “Langres in Diderot’s Time” [review], *Recherches sur Diderot et sur l’Encyclopédie*, 1987, no. 3, pp. 149–151). The Maison des Lumières in Langres owns a portrait believed to be of Denise Diderot (Diderot’s sister), by the same painter as our pair, which is almost identical to ours. The pose and dress are similar; only the black scarf is missing. The woman depicted appears slightly older. Provenance: Private collection, Besançon Experts: Cabinet Turquin
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