19th Century French Oil on Canvas Painting “La Halte de Chasse” After C. Van Loo

$18,000

About

This important oil on canvas painting was painted in France circa 1850. Titled “La Halte de Chasse” (the hunting rest), the large art work depicts a lunch rest in the forest during a hunting party of the 18th century featuring King Louis XV and Madame Louise Julie de Mailly-Nesle, Comtesse of Mailly, who was his favorite mistress from 1733 to 1739. The setting is painted like 17th century Dutch landscapes filled with numerous characters. On the left side, the king and Louise Julie nicely dressed up and seducing one another. Next to them, some victuals, including lobster and roast leg of lamb, are on display on white tablecloth. All around, other men eating, talking and resting. On the right side, a packed mule ready to go back, while dogs are waiting patiently.
The original painting was painted by Carle Van Loo in 1737 for the dining room of Louis XV in Fontainebleau. The art work is now at the Louvre Museum. The painting is in excellent condition with rich and vivid colors.
Charles-André Van Loo, also called Carle Van Loo (1705-1765), was a Rococo painter especially known for his elegant portraits of European royalty and fashionable society in the mid-18th century. He belonged to a noted family of artists of Flemish origin. His elder brother, Jean-Baptiste Van Loo, brought him up and taught him his profession. In 1724, Van Loo won first prize in the French Royal Academy competition. He went to Rome in 1728 and was awarded various distinctions. On his way back to Paris he stopped in Turin, where he painted works for the king of Sardinia’s palaces. After his return to Paris in 1734, he became a professor at the Academy in 1737 and in 1763 was elected director. Van Loo was appointed first painter to the king in 1762, and shared with François Boucher the favor of Paris society and foreign courts. Mme de Pompadour commissioned him to work at her château at Bellevue. Van Loo was acknowledged as a leading painter of historical and religious subjects in France during the Rococo period. Though versatile in style and technically facile, he was not particularly original. His precise, detailed genre scenes, somewhat reminiscent of Nicolas Lancret, were greatly admired and influenced many painters.
Measures: 97.5″ H x 46″ H.

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