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Notes
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In this portrait, the recently widowed Catherine-Thérèse, Marquise de Seignelay (1662–1699) and two of her five sons are shown as characters from Greek and Roman mythology. The Marquise is probably meant to be the sea goddess Thetis, but could also be interpreted as Venus, the goddess of love, with her attributes: a scallop shell and strings of pearls. Her sons are painted as Cupid, god of love, and Achilles, a Greek hero of the Trojan War. The children gaze towards a small portrait cameo, which could be of their father, alluding to his death. For Catherine-Thérèse’s sumptuous robe, Mignard used an expensive, high-quality ultramarine blue pigment as a show of her wealth and power. The figures are surrounded by sea and different kinds of shells, references to her husband’s profession in the French royal navy.
Title
The Marquise de Seignelay and Two of her Sons
Date
1691
Medium
Oil on canvas
Measurements
H 194.5 x W 154.4 cm
Accession number
NG2967
Acquisition method
Bequeathed by Sir John Murray Scott, 1914
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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