Portrait of Claude-rené Pâris, Count of Soulanges C. 1760; Circle of Louis Michel Van Loo (1707-1771)

Oil on canvas.

This large portrait depicts the French aristocrat and naval officer Claude-René Pâris (1736-1795) who was the last Count of Soulanges. He descended from the family of the lords of Soulanges, a fiefdom near Ancenis in Britanny, France. The Pâris family originated either in England or Flanders and gave its name to a château in Basse-Bretagne (see photo).

Claude-René was the eldest son of Claude-Louis Pâris, knight and lord of Soulanges, and his wife, Françoise de Gatinaire, daughter of Claude de Gatinaire, lord of Gatinaire, Preville and Marguerite Merisson. His military carrier began in 1751 and he was promoted to enseigne de vaisseau in 1755, then lieutenant de vaisseau in 1761. He fought in the American War of Independence and later he emigrated to Britain after the French Revolution. He was made a lieutenant colonel in the régiment d'Hector during the Quiberon Expedition but he was wounded in action and died in 31st July 1795.

Wearing a full breast plate under a crimson coat that is heavily inscribed with gold frogging, his right hand holding his bicorn hat. The wig style and the large tie at the nape of the neck were popular around in the 1760’s. The badge of the Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint Louis hangs from his left lapel by a “knotted flame coloured ribbon” as decreed in The edict of Louis XIV issued in March 1694. This was a badge of dynastic order of chivalry founded the year prior by the King and it was intended as a reward for exceptional officers and when worn from a red ribbon it denotes the status of Knight. Claude Rene was made a knight of the ordre royal et militaire de Saint-Louis in 1762 and it is most likely that the present portrait was painted to celebrate this occasion.

A very impressive and striking portrait in terms of the composition, the large scale and the extraordinary period frame.

Louis-Michel van Loo was one of the most influential portrait painters of the 18th century and a member of the dynasty of painters of the van Loo family who were active across Europe. Born in Toulon, as the son of Jean-Baptiste van Loo (1684 1745) with whom he learned and then became a student at the Paris Academy and full member in 1733. His speciality work in portraiture built an impressive international career. He worked in Madrid as Painter to Philip V of Spain, then Ferdinand VI of Spain. He played an active role in founding the Academy in Madrid. Although mainly painting portraits he also produced tapestry designs and history paintings. He was the leading portrait painter for the French Royal court but his clientele extended far beyond the Royal court. He exhibited at the Salon 1753-69, visited London in 1764 and succeeded his uncle as head of the Ecole royale des élèves protégés in 1765. Though principally a portrait painter, he also painted historical and mythological subjects. He died in Paris on 20 March 1771.

Provenance: French private collection (Loire Valley) - an old aristocratic family of Breton origin and by decent through the family

Measurements: Height 109cm, Width 93cm framed (Height 43”, Width 36.5” framed)

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