JEAN PETITOT (SWISS, 1607-1691)

The sitter in the present miniature can be compared with a miniature by Jean Petitot of a lady called Mademoiselle de Blois, Princesse de Conti (1666-1739) in the Jones Bequest at the Victoria and Albert Museum, inv. no. 669-1882. As with many of Petitot's enamels, it is difficult to identify either sitter with certainty; however, both enamels probably date to the period in which Petitot painted the leading figures of the court of King Louis XIV of France. The sitter's costume and the use of gold as the support suggest that the she was a member of the aristocratic elite and can be compared to a slightly larger enamel of a lady called Madame de Montespan, sold Christie's, London, 7 December 2004, lot 105.