Portrait of a Woman

Portrait of a Woman by Jean-Marc Nattier: Jean-Marc Nattier was a favorite portraitist of King Louis XV of France.

What to notice

In Portrait of a Woman, start with classical, portrait, figurative. Then look closely at this museum-described detail: He held the lucrative position as the court painter for Queen Mary Lesczynski, the daughter of the exiled king of Poland.

Discover

Jean-Marc Nattier was a favorite portraitist of King Louis XV of France. He held the lucrative position as the court painter for Queen Mary Lesczynski, the daughter of the exiled king of Poland. The portrait was long thought to be of Madame Henriette de France, one of the daughters of Louis XV and Queen Mary Lesczynski, but this identification is no longer accepted and the sitter remains unknown.