Why it matters
The 14-year-old Mathilde de Canisy, already married at 12, is shown in an excellent example of Nattier's sense of composition. Little noticed when first shown, it is now one of the most popular works in the Musée Jacquemart-André.
Did you know?
- It was painted in 1738.
- She had been orphaned at three.
- Nattier became painter to the French royal family ten years later.
Based on the Wikipedia article Portrait of Mathilde de Canisy, Marquise d'Antin (CC BY-SA 4.0).
