Lady in Red Dress with White Veil

This lady in a red dress with a veil and surrounded by spherical clouds resembles a mythological goddess.¹ Her gracefulness is enhanced by the tulle decoration which also livens up her calm posture. Like many other miniaturists (see cat. no. 72) Parant was strongly influenced by Jean Baptiste Isabey’s famous portraits² in which beautiful veil decorations added charm even to those ladies whose features were somewhat irregular. This portrait shows the sitter in authentic colours and a natural posture. Most of Parant’s miniature portraits are professionally painted cameo imitations, in which he achieved very realistic sparkle and relief using painterly techniques.It therefore comes as no surprise that this portrait by Parant reveals the artist’s lack of experience with such poses and a somewhat awkward attempt to imitate Isabey. Parant exploited the material properties of the ivory to their best advantage; the background and the veil are given a mysterious, misty shading, primarily achieved by painting the reverse of the semi-transparent sheet.

B. P.