# Make-up

For female portraits, flattery and appearance are the key to representation. The artist makes the model look younger, smoothes out wrinkles and facial flaws, enlarges the eyes and diminishes the mouth to match the beauty standards of the time. Louis Tocqué, a French portraitist (1696-1772), established a code that required models to wear more or less heavy makeup, depending on their rank. The Goncourt brothers remarked: "The red of a woman of quality is not the red of a woman of court; the red of a bourgeoise is neither the red of a woman of court nor the red of a woman of quality nor the red of a courtesan: it is only a hint of red, an imperceptible nuance". In this portrait, the accentuation of the red on the woman's cheeks shows that she belongs to a high social class.

In his portraits, Nicolas de Largillierre uses many devices to depict the psychology of his characters, as here with make-up, but also through the choice of soft, light colors as in the portrait of the nun Élisabeth Throckmorton painted in 1729, to reflect her faith.

Nicolas de Largillierre, Elisabeth Throckmorton,
Chanoinesse de l'ordre des Dames Augustines Anglaises,
1729, oil on canvas, 81.5x67.3 cm, Washington, National Gallery of Art.
Source : Mijotoba, 2008 via Wikicommons
License : public domain