The century illustrated monthly magazine . go be-yond his work in its perfect resemblance, itsdelicacy of color, and its grace of style. LouisXV. became his chief patron, and for forty yearsfrom the date of his first exhibition he was theleading portrait-painter of his day. He paintednearly all the noted men of his country andage, preferring, we are told, to make the por-traits of celebrities for his own pleasure topainting those of opulent nonentities at anyprice. In spite of this assertion he showedhimself an able man of affairs, speedily amass- THE GOLDEN AGE OF PASTEL. 269 ing great wealth
The century illustrated monthly magazine . go be-yond his work in its perfect resemblance, itsdelicacy of color, and its grace of style. LouisXV. became his chief patron, and for forty yearsfrom the date of his first exhibition he was theleading portrait-painter of his day. He paintednearly all the noted men of his country andage, preferring, we are told, to make the por-traits of celebrities for his own pleasure topainting those of opulent nonentities at anyprice. In spite of this assertion he showedhimself an able man of affairs, speedily amass- THE GOLDEN AGE OF PASTEL. 269 ing great wealth from his extraordinary prices, sen ted in armor magnificently painted, relieved finding fault with the sum, twenty-four thou- by the blue sash of the order of Saint Esprit, sand francs, paid him by Mme. de Pompadour It is said that the marshal, who was a great for her portrait, and claiming that he should friend of La Tours, had fallen into disgrace have received double that amount. Ten thou- with the king, who, in consequence, had con-. LOUIS OF FRANCE, THE DAUPHIN. PASTEL BY MAURICE QUENTIN DE LA TOUR, IN THE LOUVRE, PARIS. sand dollars seems to us a rather exorbitantdemand for a portrait in pastel, but there wasonly one La Tour, and this was his is doubtful whether it has ever been conceded to be the most importantpicture in the pastel room of the Louvre, itis the despair of all pastelists and also of allpainters in oil. The accessories are cleverlytreated, while the lady, from her blond tressesto the high heels of her dainty shoes, is a deli-cious bit of painting. The delicate-floweredsatin gown, the lovely hands and bosom, andthe small but perfectly shaped features, are allexquisitely rendered. The head, we know notfor what reason, was cut out of the picture atthe time of the Revolution, and has been re-placed. The painting forms a striking contrastto La Tours strong portrait of Marshal Saxe,which hangs on the next wall. He is rep re -
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectamerica, bookyear1882
