Catalogues

Marie-Anne Bernard, née Nicolas

This portrait of a lady, which came into the Tansey Collection a few years after the portrait of Nicolas-Joachim Bernard (cf. cat.-no. 162, also for information on the Bernards), represents his wife Marie-Anne, née Nicolas. Though she is nearly shown in profile, she is turning her head towards the observer, a pose which vividly underlines the curves of her body. Her eyes and mouth are sweepingly contoured and her countenance is painted in fresh colours, which gives her a cheerful expression. The sitter' s posture and the reproduction oh her features betray Augustin' s influence, who gave Madame Vitry lessons in miniature painting. Little is known about the miniature painter Vitry. In Augustin' s "Carnet vert" it is noted that the student received several lessons. Since her place of living is registered in a separate list of addresses, it seems that their contact was more intense than with other students ¹ .

B.P.

¹ It is not known when Vitry started to take her lessons. Since the entry is hardly legible, the resuming of the lessons cannot be dated. However, it was probably in 1797. Cf. Augustin's "Carnet vert", p. 81r and p. 88v respectively.