Marie-Guillelmine Benoist: Madame Philippe Desbassayns de Richemont and Her Son, Eugène
This sparkling portrait was once attributed to Jacques-Louis David. It is now known to have been done by his student, Marie-Guillelmine Benoist (whose work has been featured here before).
The subject, Jeanne Eglé Fulcrande Catherine Mourgue, called Égle, was born in
Montpellier in 1778 and married Philippe Panon Desbassayns de Richemont in 1799. Her husband enjoyed a successful administrative and
diplomatic career under the Consulat, Empire, and Restoration. Apparently a family legend says that the painting originally featured Madame de Richemont and her daughter Camille, but that after Camille's tragic death it was redone with Eugène. But this is unconfirmed.
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