Gabrielle d'Estrées and one of her sisters
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| Gabrielle d'Estrées and one of her sisters |
|---|
| anonymous , around 1594 |
| oil on wood |
| 96 × 125 cm |
| Louvre |
Gabrielle d'Estrées and one of her sisters ( Gabrielle d'Estrées et une de ses sœurs ) is a double portrait by an unknown painter. It shows Gabrielle d'Estrées , mistress of Henry IV , and probably one of her sisters, the Duchess of Villars.
The unknown painter of the picture, created around 1594, belonged to the so-called Second School of Fontainebleau , which worked for the French king during the reign of Henry IV.
The painting was acquired by the Museé du Louvre in Paris in 1937 and is in the permanent exhibition ( Peintures françaises XIV e -XVII e , room 10).
description
The picture shows an open red curtain that reveals two naked young women in a bathtub. A white cloth is thrown over the edge of the bathtub. The woman on the left grips the other's right nipple with the thumb and forefinger of her left hand , while her right arm rests on the edge of the bathtub. The woman on the right is holding a ring in the fingertips of her left hand, while her other hand is also resting on the edge of the tub. Behind the two women there is another red curtain that partially covers the background. A sewing attendant sits in the visible part. There is also a table with a green throw and behind it a fireplace with a fire that has almost burned down. A painting, which is only partially visible, hangs over the fireplace, showing the lower body of a man who is naked, except for a red blanket covering the genitals.
Interpretations
The grip on Gabrielle d'Estrées' nipple is often interpreted as an indication of pregnancy. In fact, in June 1594 , she gave birth to César , a boy who was passed off as the child of her and Henry IV. Following this interpretation, the servant sews children's clothing in the background and the portrait over the fireplace could represent the father.
The picture has presumably forerunner versions and variations of the motif with the same people and the same period, which can also not be clearly assigned to any known artist. Another interpretation is that the picture as the last of this series of pictures (and painted only after 1599) refers to the changing mistresses of Henry IV (grip of the mistress presumed to be the successor [who, however, is not the sister] on the tip of the breast of d ' Estrées) and the marriage vows of Henry IV that were not kept (the unencumbered ring in d'Estrées' hand). Since the man in the picture in the picture is indeed the child's father, but not Heinrich IV, only his lower body is shown.
Variations / related images (selection)
- Fontainebleau School, Two Ladies in the Bath , Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi
- Lady in the Bath / Portrait of Diana of Poitiers, Washington DC, National Gallery of Art
literature
- Raphaël Bouvier: The Portrait of Gabrielle d'Estrées and one of her sisters. Body image and aesthetics of the body in the context of the female nude portrait. In: Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte 68 (2005), pp. 339–357.
Web links
- Official website of the Louvre (French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Name of the Musée du Louvre : Portrait présumé de Gabrielle d'Estrées et de sa sœur la duchesse de Villars
- ↑ Wolfram Fleischhauer : The purple line. Weitbrecht Verlag, 1996
- ↑ Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte 68 (2005), November 3rd , 2019, accessed on November 7th, 2019 .