Full Record |
| Title |
A Lady in Oriental Fancy Dress |
| Collection |
Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle |
| Artist |
Pinchon, Jean Antoine (French, 1772-1850) |
| Date Earliest |
probably about 1800 |
| Date Latest |
probably about 1820 |
| Signed |
yes |
| Description |
This lady dressed in a costume reminiscent of both the First Empire and orientalist fashion is said to be Mlle Mars, a celebrated actress (1779-1847) whose beauty and talent placed at the top of her profession. She was a member of the Comédie Française, where she was very good in ingénue parts; she played many comedy roles from the older repertoire, but also created fully many parts. The oriental fancy dress worn in the painting may well suggest that the lady in question is indeed an actress in a role, whilst it also follows the orientalist trend brought by Napoleon Bonaparte's Egyptian campaign. |
| Current Accession Number |
B.M.405 |
| Former Accession Number |
No. 532 |
| Inscription |
front lr 'Pinchon.' |
| Subject |
portrait (Mlle Mars?) |
| Measurements |
32 x 23.5 cm (estimate) |
| Material |
oil on canvas |
| Acquisition Details |
Bequeathed by the founders John and Joséphine Bowes 1885. |
| Provenance |
Bought from Lamer by Bowes, 24 July 1865, 25 francs. A. C. Lamer, Marchand de Curiosités, Objets d'art et tableaux, 16 rue Grange, Bateliere, Paris. |
| Notes |
This was no. 532 in John Bowes' catalogue, as 'Portrait of Mlle Mars of the §Théâtre Français§, signed Jean Antoine Pinchon, about 1815'. For another portrait of Mlle Mars, see B.M.365. The dates given are approximated by the First Empire clothing and Mlle Mars' date of birth. |
| Rights Owner |
The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham |
| Author |
Dr Maylis Hopewell-Curie |
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