ANTOINE VESTIER (1740-1824)

M. Etienne de Joly (1795-96)

Galerie Eric Coatalem, Paris

Oil on canvas (81 x 65 cm)

(To enlarge the picture, right click on it and chose “Open in another window”)

Here is another beautiful portrait by Antoine Vestier that shows the talent of this little-known French painter. Like the sitter in my previous post dedicated to Vestier (The Governor) Etienne Louis Hector de Joly (1756-1837) was an obscure civil servant who only deserves to be remembered as the subject of an excellent portrait.

Etienne was a lawyer and as such was a member of the King’s Council, a body made up of lawyers, senior civil servants and the King’s ministers who advised the monarch. This is an important detail that most people ignore; the common belief that the kings of France ruled in a despotic manner is false. The traditional expression that appeared at the head of all royal decrees “Car tel est notre plaisir” (Because this is our pleasure / Because this please us) meant that the King was speaking in the name of his counsellors to whom he had listened and whose advice he followed.

Etienne de Joly served as minister of Justice very briefly, in fact, he did it for only two months (July-August 1792). He was one of the last ministers of Louis XVI and was very lucky to survive the Terror. In 1806 Napoleon appointed him to the Conseil d’État (Council of State) in a very similar position to the one he held under Louis XVI. He retired in 1815.

Antoine Vestier painted this portrait between 1795 and 1796, we know this because he signed it “Vestier-L’an 4”. According to the French Revolutionary calendar, the year 4 began in September 1795 and ended in September 1796. Although Etienne de Joly did not write anything of importance he must have been proud of his achievemnts as a Classic scholar and linguist since he chose to be portrayed with his translation of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations”. On his desk there is an open book where we can read: “PENSÉES de l’Empereur Marc-Aurele-Antonin ou LECONS DE VERTU = Nouvelle traduction du grec par M. DE JOLY” (THOUGHTS of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus or LESSONS OF VIRTUE = New translation from the Greek by M. DE JOLY)

As is usual with all great portraits, there is not much to say about the painter’s skill and talent because they are in plain sight. Look how brilliantly Vestier depicted the iridescent stripes of de Joly’s silk coat; the same applies to his lively and kind face. The man looks as if he has been surprised by a friendly visitor. There is an air of spontaneity and freshness about Etienne de Joly that only great portraitists can achieve.

The gallery Eric Coatalem especialises in French 17th to 20th century paintings, drawings and sculptures. Its website is excellent and bilingual: https://www.coatalem.com/en/