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Oil on copper painted by a disciple/follower of Nicolas Vleughels*, representing a naughty scene of an undressed woman with a painter in her studio, representation of the Fable of Jean de la Fontaine "Le Bât"* where the painter repaintes on the belly of his lover a donkey so as not to be caught by the husband, in a gilded wooden frame, from the 18th century.
This painting is in good general condition as is its frame. Plaque with the name Nicolas VLEUGHELS on the frame (erased). Old sales label from the Chevau-Légers Auction House in Versailles. Handwritten inscription on the back "We have a date on the pot" (illegible).
The painting represents an episode from Le Bât by Jean de la Fontaine. In the tale, a suspicious husband paints a donkey on his wife's stomach. Her lover then visits her and, with passion, erases the painting. But first, the lover had made a copy of the donkey on a canvas (behind the woman) and he repainted it in the same place. However, he also adds a pack, discovered by the husband as proof of his infidelity.
Note: wear and tear on the paint and frame, look carefully at the photos.
often spelled Vleughels is a French painter. Son of Philippe Vleughels, a Flemish artist specializing in portraiture, Nicolas' brother, Jacques-Philippe, is also a painter. He was a student of Pierre Mignard. In 1694, Nicolas won second prize at the Academy Prize. From 1703 to 1713, he lived in Italy, three years in Rome, then stayed two years in Venice from March 1707. He was elected a member of the Academy of Painting on December 31, 1716. He cohabited with Antoine Watteau from 1716 in 1718, in the Saint-Victor district. He returned to Rome in 1725 to be appointed director of the French Academy. Nicolas Vleughels was named knight of Saint Michael by the king. Étienne Jeaurat and Pierre Subleyras were among his students. Vleughels dealt with subjects related to holy history, mythology and secular history. His historical and mythological paintings made in the Baroque style are often influenced by the works of Veronese and generally small in format. His works are now part of the funds of the Louvre and the Caen Museum of Fine Arts.
