Offered by Poncelin de Raucourt Fine Arts
Paintings and drawings, from 16th to 19th century
Attributed to Jean-François de Troy (Paris, 1679 – Rome, 1752)
Elegant Musical Gathering in an Aristocratic Interior
Oil on canvas
46 x 57 cm
Circa 1710–1715
This refined and intimate scene depicts a group of elegantly dressed figures performing music within a richly appointed interior. A young woman plays the harpsichord, accompanied by a singer, a viola da gamba player, and a flautist, all united in a moment of poised concentration and graceful interaction. The careful rendering of textiles, the fluid gestures, and the subtle glances exchanged between the figures reflect a sophisticated sense of staging and narrative.
By its subject—a private musical gathering imbued with galant charm—its warm palette, and its narrative elegance, the painting clearly belongs to the French tradition of the early 18th century, at the crossroads of the Grand Siècle and the emerging Rococo style. It bears a strong stylistic resemblance to the work of Jean-François de Troy, particularly to Le Concert (also known as L’Accord parfait) held in the Musée de Perpignan. The pyramidal composition centered around the female musician, the expressive faces, and the refined postures are closely aligned with the artist’s genre scenes from his Parisian period.
Although no documentary evidence currently supports a definitive attribution, the painting clearly reveals the hand of a major artist trained in the academic tradition. Its style strongly echoes the work of Jean-François de Troy at his most accomplished.