A lovely 17th Century portrait of an Bonne de Pon d’Heudicort (1644-1709). The sitter is dressed in a flowing gold and blue dress with her left arm propped upon a red velvet pillow on a table with a red tablecloth. She wears pearl earrings and a classic 17th Century hairstyle. Her eyes gleam with a bright reflection on her eyes. The image depicts Bonne at age 18 years. Bonne de Pons was appointed as a lady in waiting to the queen of France in 1661, and became a mistress of King Louis XIV. The painting is on a cradled oak panel. The panel measures 14" x 11" and the overall dimensions including the frame are approximately 19.75" x 16.5".

Condition: The painting is in overall very good condition and displays quite well. There is a very old vertical crack in the panel on the left side, which has been patched verso and can be seen under the cradle in the photo of the back of the panel. The repair does reflect in-painting along that crack on the front, but is limited and well-done. The paint shows signs of faint craquelure and is slightly dirty as can be seen from the closeup photos, but in general the work is displayable and brilliant in its current condition. The gold frame is also quite heavy and old and has minor losses of gilt, but complements the painting quite well. The painting is unsigned, as was typical for many 17th Century works, but this is likely by a French artist.

There is an inscription on the back of the wooden cradle identifying the sitter as Mademoiselle de Sévigné (1626-1696), but that was likely added by a French art dealer at a later date, as this clearly depicts Bonne de Pons, although she had met Mademoiselle de Sévigné, the painting is not of her.

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