 |
Pompeo Batoni (Lucca 1708 – 1787 Rome) Portrait of Baron François de Chambrier (1739-1781), Chamberlain to the King of Prussia, 1771 Signed and dated in the lower right: P. BATONI PINXIT ROMA ANN. 1771 Provenance: Literature: Exhibitions: According to Benjamin West, “the Italian artists [of the eighteenth century] talked of nothing [and] looked at nothing, but the works of Pompeo Batoni.” Indeed, Batoni was “esteemed the best portrait painter in the world” by many of his contemporaries. The artist began his career painting history pieces, religious scenes, and mythological subjects. His first portraits of milordi date around 1744 and were eventually considered by his international clientele a “fashionable necessity.” Over the next three decades, Batoni assiduously produced at least a dozen portraits per year. At the zenith of his career, the price of his portraits had climbed so high that only the wealthiest could afford to sit for him. Batoni’s inherent ability to capture the physiognomic likenesses of his subjects was a significant aspect of his success in the field of portraiture. The artist endowed his sitters with elegance, but at the same time remained faithful to their true appearances. A felicitous example is his portrait of Stephen Beckingham (Private collection, New York), which was so accurate that a stranger, who had seen the painting several years before meeting Beckingham, immediately recognized him at a dinner party in London. In addition to his accuracy, Batoni was revered for the exceptional quality of his work. It is rare to find evidence of collaboration or studio help among Batoni’s paintings; apparently, the master did not trust any other artist to ably contribute to his canvases. Batoni described his commitment to producing only the finest quality works in a letter to Bartolomeo Talenti in 1744: “My honor requires me to dispatch no work that isn’t finished with the greatest attention and diligence, for the reason that one single slipshod work could make me lose all the credit acquired up to now.” Distinguished foreign royalty and Italian ecclesiastics were not the only patrons who recognized the excellent quality of his production; Batoni’s portraits also attracted wealthy nobles passing through Rome on the Grand Tour. His first Grand Tour portraits appear around 1750, and quickly they grew to become a large part of his artistic production in the following decades. His sitters were often young gentry – especially from Great Britain – who were extremely wealthy and often politically influential. Most would begin their journey in the Netherlands, pass through France, and then proceed to Italy. Having one’s portrait painted by Batoni in Rome was considered a highlight of the Grand Tour experience for many young men. The present work likely documents the Grand Tour of François de Chambrier III – whose identity is revealed by the letter in his left hand. Unfortunately, Chambrier’s life is scarcely documented. He was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland in 1739 to François de Chambrier II and Rose-Marguerite de Meuron. The noble Chambrier family produced a long lineage of important figures, many of whom entered the service of the Prussian government when Neuchâtel was controlled by Prussia. Our sitter became chamberlain to the King of Prussia, Frederick the Great (1712-1786), in 1764 – merely a year after Prussia confirmed its position among the great European powers after the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763). Chambrier continued to work closely for the King, who expanded Prussia’s territory in the following decades – the most notable gains included the partition of Poland in the early 1770s, and the division of Bavaria in the brief War of Bavarian Succession (1778-1779) against Austria. Chambrier held the post of chamberlain until his death in Berlin in 1781; he never married, and left no heirs. Although the identity of our sitter cannot be confirmed with absolute certainty, François de Chambrier III is far and away the most likely candidate because he was chamberlain to the King of Prussia (as noted in the inscription on the letter) in the year the portrait was executed. There is no other documentary evidence confirming Chambrier’s journey to Italy, but we know from his extant letters to Jean-Jacques Rousseau that he was passionate about art, music, and literature. It is plausible to suppose that Chambrier was drawn to Rome not as an emissary to the king, but by the Eternal City’s ancient culture. Chambrier, like many aristocrats and nobles before him, had his portrait painted by Batoni and returned home with a precious treasure.
|