Pierre Gobert, portrait of Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy, Duchess of Burgundy.

The question of identifying the model is crucial here for anyone seeking to understand the coherence of the Marquis de Pierre’s collection. Hanging above the portrait of Elizabeth Stuart, everything suggests that this placement is significant, as the two works bear no stylistic resemblance to one another. Yet whilst the chubby face may bring to mind^{Mademoiselle de} Blois, Princess of Conti, it also bears a strong resemblance to that of Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy (1685–1712), a princess of the House of Savoy, Duchess of Burgundy and later Dauphine of France.

She was the eldest child of Victor Amadeus II (1666–1732), Duke of Savoy, and Anne-Marie d’Orléans (1669–1728), daughter of Monsieur, brother of King Louis XIV and his first wife, Henrietta of England. Following the War of the League of Augsburg (1689–1697), France and the Duchy of Savoy sealed their reconciliation with a new dynastic union: that of the Duke of Burgundy and Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy. From their union, the future Louis XV was born.

The painting’s execution, of very fine quality, is undeniably reminiscent of that of the painter Pierre Gobert, an artist influenced by both Flemish and Northern styles, characterised by a brushstroke that tends to fade into the background. This prolific artist produced numerous court portraits featuring static, rather repetitive poses, yet with a delicate, porcelain-like modelling that is precise and smooth in the radiance of the flesh tones. In contrast, the brushwork is soft and flowing in the drapery. It is this contrast that defines the art of Pierre Gobert.

Born into a family of artists, Pierre Gobert began working for the court at a very young age, notably with a commission for the *Portrait of the Duke of Burgundy* when he was just a few weeks old – the first in a long list of portraits of children, a genre in which Gobert excelled most. Admitted to the Royal Academy in 1686, Pierre Gobert did not concern himself with his induction until fifteen years later, so overwhelmed was he with commissions, particularly for the Bavarian court. From 1707 onwards, Gobert worked for the court of Lorraine, where he had been summoned by Duke Leopold. On his return to Paris, he worked very regularly for the French court, producing portraits of most members of the royal family, the most interesting examples of which are preserved at the Palace of Versailles.

Aulteribe’s version of the portrait of Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy is, compared with the one held at Versailles, of a more modest size, though it remains large-scale for a bust portrait. Given that Pierre Gobert does not appear to have had a studio around 1700 (he did so a little later, whilst working for the court of Lorraine), the portrait by Aulteribe is likely to be by the hand of Pierre Gobert.