Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun by Joseph Baillio

The only absolutely confirmed contemporary depiction of Sophie comes from a series of engravings of the royal family, something discovered and shared. Identifications, we are left with precious little tangible portraiture With two of the previous “Sophie” portraits now given the correct Regardless of whether the 'not-Sophie' misidentified portrait is Amédée,įrançois or Octavie, the children in both pastel portraits were cousins. Perhaps both portraits were painted around the same time or perhaps they requested the artist to paint them in a complementary style. This portrait depicts Eugène de Montesquiou-Fézensac (1782-1810). The above pastel portrait is remarkably similar to another infant portrait by Vigee-Lebrun, done for the Montesquiou-Fézensacįamily. Various books reporting on the genealogy of the Lastic family giveĭiffering information: one indicates that Amédée merely “died young,” and another There are conflicting reports regarding hisīirth and death date indicates that he was born in 1782Īnd died in 1788 according to Baillo, he was born in 1780 and died inġ788. It does indeed depict their first child, then the infant in the above Only Octavie (Gertrude Charlotte Marie Octavie) would live past childhood she was a dame d'honneur to Empress Josephine and had several children of her own. The couple had three children: Amédée, François and Octavie. Montesquiou-Lastic family indicate that the pastel portrait depicts the firstĬhild born to Louise Hyacinthe de Montesquiou and Anne-François V de Hélène Béatrix, the real identity of the children in the above portraits has become clarified: neither child is Sophie de France.Īccording to the chateau de Parentignat website, the archives of the However, after decades of being known as portraits of Sophie According to Josephīaillio, this may be a sketch of Eugène de Montesquiou-Fézensac, whom the artist also depicted in a pastel. “Sleeping Baby” by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun, circa 1780s. Identified another Vigee-Lebrun work, a sketch, as depicting the infant Whose specialty is the work of Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun.

This identification was first made in a Vigee-LebrunĮxhibition catalog published in the 1980s by Joseph Baillio, an expert This charming pastel portrait has long been identified as Sophie Hélèneīéatrix, the second daughter and last child born to Marie Antoinette and Louise Hyacinthe de Montesquiou and Anne-François V de Lastic by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun, circa 1780-1783.

Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun by Joseph Baillio