English: Jacques-André-Joseph Aved (Douai 1702 - 1766 Paris)

Portrait of the abbot Dieudonné Chaumont de la Galaisière

Signed and dated lower right aved. f. 1738

Oil on canvas

235 x 159,5 cm ; 92½ by 62¾ in.

This full-length portrait, painted by Joseph Aved in 1738 and exhibited at the 1739 Salon (no. 41), shows the abbé de Chaumont de Mareil, later de La Galaisière (1708-1768). Chaumont de la Galaisière was vicar-general of Toul and first almoner to the king of Poland Stanislas Leczinski (1677-1766). He was ordained Bishop of Sion at Lunéville on 26 May 1765. Aved shows him more than thirty years earlier, already displaying – despite his youth – a sense of the grandeur that was no doubt the model’s wish. He stands with a majestic presence, wearing a cassock over his rochet and resting his right hand on his hat, which lies on a bible. Everything contributes to the intellectual image that the prelate no doubt wanted to convey: the columns allude to the model’s rectitude, his desk is surrounded by books and artworks, a richly furnished library is visible behind heavy curtains embellished with trimmings, and opulent Regency furniture is prominently placed in the foreground.

Aved has here revisited a classic pose that he uses for portraits of important churchmen, with very subtle treatment of the painted surface: his brush is deployed with much delicacy to convey the facial features, the solidity of the furniture and the breathtaking virtuosity of the crocheted lace, while swifter brushstrokes are used for the heavy, dark fabrics, whose weight is skilfully evoked through the use of light.