17th century French school (Entourage de Robert Nanteuil) Portrait of the Superintendent of Finances Nicolas Fouquet (1615-1680) Oval oil on canvas Portrait of Nicolas Fouquet (1615-1680), oil on canvas, French School, 17th C. 25.19 x 20.07 in. 51 cm x 64 cm Provenance: Acquired by the family of the present owner before 1854 ; Then by descent; Private collection, Tarn-et-Garonne Exhibitions: Exposition universelle, Paris, Palais du Trocadéro, 1878, no. 199 (as Portrait de Nicolas Fouquet, by Philippe de Champaigne) Remarks: This lot is sold in partnership with Artcurial Toulouse - Maître Jean-Louis Vedovato. While everything has been said or written about the astonishing figure and meteoric rise of superintendent Nicolas Fouquet, who, to use Paul Morand's1 apt phrase, 'offended' the Sun, iconographic discoveries about this fascinating and endearing character are much rarer. The recent brilliant study of his collections2 has left connoisseurs of the Grand Siècle in a state of uncertainty, because of the many questions surrounding the extent of Fouquet's wealth. As very few portraits of the model have come down to us, our painting is a precious testimony. It appears to be faithful in every respect to the engraving (fig.1) by Robert Nanteuil (1623-1678), for which a preparatory drawing in graphite on vellum is held in a private collection3. The direction of the engraving, reversed in relation to our portrait, which is presented in the same direction as the preparatory drawing, might suggest that we are in the presence of a prototype. While the mischievous look is wonderfully rendered, the rather dry execution raises questions about the possibility of a lost original and Nanteuil's relationship with painting. 1- Paul Morand, Fouquet ou le Soleil offusqué, 1961 2- Clara Terreaux, La Collection de tableaux de Nicolas Fouquet, La construction des apparences, Mémoires de recherches de l'Ecole du Louvre, Paris, 2023 3- Audrey Adamczak, Robert Nanteuil, ca. 1623-1678, Paris, 2011, p. 202, cat. no. 154