Marie Adélaïde Landragin, später Mme Duvieux

Portrait of a Gentleman as a Hunter

This miniature shows an unknown gentleman as a hunter. Wearing a tall hat in a slanted position and carrying a gun in his hands, he stands in a mountainous landscape in front of an overhanging rock with bushes. His clothing consists of a blue jacket, a white shirt and a red scarf; strap and rope are crossed over his breast. Although the hunter is shown in his clothes, the sitter looks so calmly at the observer that it can be assumed that this picture was created in a studio. Thus, the light is not natural - entering from the side as in most miniature portraits, it enables the artist to give more plasticity to the body. The transition to the distant horizon is skilfully mastered by adding rocks and bushes. The dark rock, providing the portrait's background, emphasizes the hunter's pale face. These technical subtleties point to the artist's skilfull and sensitive feel and prove her to be an outstanding talent. On the left part of the rock we discover the signature of Mlle Landragin (who was later to become Mme Duvieux), a miniaturist who unfortunately is hardly known still today.