François Antoine Romany
Marie de Bourguenoud
This portrait of Marie de Bourguenoud in the surroundings of park scenery was probably painted in Romany' s studio in Paris 1 . The sitter' s large eyes have a yearning expression which is underlined by the love symbolism of the rose bouquet in her hands. As in many other miniatures, Hall' s influence is visible in the dark wood in the background, the free dotted painting of the clothes and the sitter' s delicately painted face with large eyes and a small mouth with strongly curved lips 2 . Romany' s friend Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller introduced him to a group of Swedish artists who worked in Paris, among whom was Hall 3 . Both Romany and Hall were strongly concerned by the difficult order situation after the revolution. In July 1789 Romany wrote to Wertmüller: "You have not lost much by leaving this region, because to speak the truth we do nothing at all and will soon be at the end of our tether if this state continues (...)." 4 ; another quote goes: "Hall complains, and he is not the only one" 5 . Though Romany supported the French revolution, he married the daughter of a certain Marquis de Romance in 1790. However, this marriage of convenience was dissolved a few years later 6 .
B.P.
1 Around 1790 Romany lived in Paris where he looked after the flat of his friend Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller. Cf. Jeannerat 1923, p. 55.
2 Sometimes Romany' s miniatures so much resemble those of Hall that the ascriptions were confused. Cf. Jean-Richard 1994, p. 301, no. 549 and p. 303, no. 552. They are totally different from the accurately drawn and brightly coloured works of Augustin or from the contrasty portraits by Isabey. Cf. cat.-no. 4-7and 80-84.
3 The circumstance that Romany was probably also introduced to Roslin, who was friends with Périn, may serve to explain the striking stylistic similarity between Périn' s and Romany' s works.
4 Letter dated October 31, 1790. Cf. Jeannerat 1923, p. 55.
5 Letter dated July 19, 1789. Cf. Jeannerat 1923, p. 55.
6 f. Jeannerat 1923, p. 57.
