Nicolas Fouché

NICOLAS FOUCHÉ (Troyes, France, 1653-Paris, 1733).
"Portrait of a lady".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
It has damage in the frame.
Measurements: 87 x 72 cm; 96 x 81 cm (frame).
This work is an excellent example of the court portrait developed in France during the reign of Louis XIV and the transition to the Rococo. The piece is part of the late Baroque pictorial tradition, with a clear influence of the stylistic refinement characteristic of French high society in the 17th and early 18th centuries. The female figure occupies the center of the composition, arranged half-length, turned slightly to her right and establishing eye contact with the viewer, which reinforces the intention of capturing not only the physiognomy, but also the presence and character of the portrayed. The face, with a serene and slightly smiling expression, presents a rosy and youthful complexion, emphasized by a delicate illumination that models the volume without dramatic exaggerations, typical of French court portraiture.
The hairstyle, elaborate and adorned with small red flowers, responds to the fashions of the time and reflects the elevated status of the lady. The deep blue dress with tight bodice and pink ribbons, as well as the puffed sleeves with transparencies and the insertion of lace, reveal the textile richness and the meticulousness with which the artist treats the details.
Most of what we know about this little-known artist is due to the enormous number of prints made from his work. Apart from the great masters no one has been engraved as much as he. As is often the case, we do not have the original paintings, as many of them were destroyed after the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century. Unfortunately they all passed into the name "French School of the 18th century". Very little is known about him, other than that he was born around 1653 in Troyes and was the son of a now forgotten painter, Leonard Fouche. He seems to have arrived in Paris around 1670 and trained with Pierre Mignard, as his reception as a master painter in the painters' and sculptors' guild took place on March 15, 1679.
Fouche was a pupil of Mignard and the next 50 years of his career as an artist are poorly documented, but it is recorded that he worked as a dealer in paintings in and the inventory of the estate of the art dealer Francois Sucre reveals that he owned with Fouché a navy by Claude Lorrain around 1705. He does not appear to have worked for the church or to have been involved in major decorative projects. The most interesting aspect of his career seems to be, according to him, that he wanted to create collector's items, since, with the exception of Poussin, Claude or Mignard, contemporary French paintings were hardly collected in France.