Charles-Alexandre de Calonne (1734-1802)
Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, 1784
This portrait shows Charles Alexandre de Calonne, the politician who ran France's finances under Louis XVI between 1783 and 1787. His attempt to reform public spending ended in his dismissal, an episode that preceded the French Revolution. Vigée Le Brun painted him seated at a desk, dressed in the formal attire of the noblesse de robe and wearing the Order of the Holy Spirit, while he holds a letter addressed to the king. These elements emphasise his power and closeness to the crown. Against such formality, the painter left visible a dusting of white powder that has fallen from the wig onto the dark silk of his shoulders, a detail that softens the figure. Vigée Le Brun was one of the most celebrated portraitists of the final years of the Ancien Régime, closely associated with Marie Antoinette. Gossip suggested an affair with Calonne, which she firmly denied. The work was shown at the Salon of 1785 at the Louvre. Calonne commissioned it and took it with him into exile in Britain. It was later acquired by George, Prince of Wales, and it remains in the Royal Collection today.
- Painter
- Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
- Date
- 1784
- Medium
- oil paint, canvas
- Dimensions
- 156 × 130 cm
- Museum
- Royal Collection
- Genre
- portrait
- Depicts
- Charles Alexandre de Calonne
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