Marquise de Caumont La Force

The Marquise de Caumont La Force appears in this 1767 portrait at the David Owsley Museum of Art at Ball State University. The Marquise"s portrait by Drouais records one of the many aristocratic women who sat for the most fashionable portrait painter in France. The painting"s journey from an aristocratic French household to an Indiana university demonstrates the global dispersal of French art through the international market. Drouais was among the most successful portraitists of pre-Revolutionary France, working in the tradition of his father Hubert Drouais and studying under Carle van Loo, Natoire, and Boucher before establishing himself at court.

The aristocratic sitter is presented with Drouais"s full repertoire of flattering technique—smooth flesh painting, precise costume rendering, and the overall polish that made his portraits so sought after. The palette is warm and elegant, with the costume providing color and textural interest. The face shows careful characterization within the idealizing conventions of aristocratic portraiture.