Jean-Marc Nattier

Jean-Marc Nattier made his name dressing the ladies of Louis XV’s court as goddesses. His sitters appear as Diana, Flora or Hebe, wrapped in soft blue drapery against misty skies, with pearly skin and a light, flattering touch that sums up French Rococo portraiture.

Born in Paris, he was taught by his father Marc Nattier and his uncle Jean Jouvenet, and entered the Académie in 1703. In 1717 he painted Peter the Great, and by the 1740s he was the favourite portraitist of the royal family, painting Madame de Pompadour as Diana and Queen Marie Leszczyńska reading the Bible. His portrait of Louis XV shows the king in armour. Versailles, the Louvre, the Wallace Collection and the Metropolitan Museum all hold his work.

Look for his particular cool blue, which French dealers still call “bleu Nattier”.