The son of Anne Elisabeth Pierre de Montesquiou-Fézensac and Louise Charlotte Françoise Le Tellier de Courtanvaux, Eugène would grow up to become first equerry to the Comte de Provence, brother of Louis XVI, King of France. Depicting the child barely a year old (he was born in 1782), this pastel attests to Vigée Le Brun’s technical mastery of the pastel medium, as she captured the rough, frilled ruffles of the baby's garment, as well as his smooth supple skin with equal proficiency. The innovative perspective and tight close-up further allows an intimate connection with the child, making this rare work distinctly modern for its time. In this wonderfully tender depictions of a young child, the artist was likely prompted by the publication of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s book Émile (1762), in which the author stressed the importance of carefully observing young children during their ‘age of nature.’
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