HYACINTHE RIGAUD. 1659-1743

30 PORTRAIT OF FONTENELLE (?)

Oil on canvas. 54 X 44 cm. Inv. No 1056 Bernard le Bouvier, sieur de Fontenelle (1657—1757), was a writer, member of the French Academy and secretary of the Academy of Sciences. The portrait of Fontenelle, painted by Rigaud in 1702, was engraved by Dossier for the writer's complete works published in 1709. The whereabouts of the portrait is unknown, but there are a number of old copies the best of which belongs to the Musee Fabre at Montpellier. Some French art historians considered the Pushkin Museum portrait to be one of these copies, although it is absolutely different from the portrait in the Musee Fabre. As there is no evidence to suggest that Rigaud painted two portraits of Fonte-

nelle, the traditional attribution of the portrait appears to be doubtful.

Provenance: 1811—1925 The Hermitage, St Petersburg— Petrograd; since 1925 The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow

Exhibitions: 1955 Moscow, Cat., p. 54; 1956 Leningrad, Cat., p. 52; 1972 Moscow, Cat., p. 92

Bibliography: Кат. ГМИИ 1948, p. 66; Кат. ГМИИ 1957, p. 119, ill.; Кат. ГМИИ 1961, p. 159, ill.; Notice sur 1'Ermitage 1828, p. 74; Dussieux 1856, p. 441; Cat. Ermitage 1863, No 1538; Waagen 1864, p. 309; Сомов 1900, No 1538; Бенуа 1912, p. 262; Кат. Эрмитажа 1916, No 1538; Reau 1929, No 624; Прокофьев 1962, ill. 40; ЗОЛОТОЕ 1968, p. 14, ill.

30 PORTRAIT OF FONTENELLE (?)