Marie de Bourguenoud

This portrait of Marie de Bourguenoud in a park was probably painted in Romany’s studio in Paris.¹ The sitter’s large eyes have a longing 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, dabbed 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 severely affected by the lack of orders 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 beat 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. The bride’s large dowry of 40,000 livres must have been welcome given his economic situation. However,this marriage of convenience was dissolved a few years later.⁶
B. P.