Leopold, Duke of Lorraine and his son François, with other attendants in the grounds of the Château de Lunéville

Lot n° 165
17,8cmx28,1cm

Pen and brown ink and brown and gray wash, over traces of black chalk, within partial brown ink framing lines;
numbered in brown ink: 1 to 11 and extensively numbered and inscribed, verso, with the names of the people and locations depicted

L'attribution de ce dessin à Valentin Duval qui figure à droite sur la scène est très hasardeuse par cette salle new yorkaise. Ne faudrait-il pas préférer voir la main de  Joseph GILLE dit Provençal , de Nicolas BEDAN, de Claude CHARLES ou de Claude JACQUART ?

As the list of names on the verso indicates, in conjunction with the key numbers inscribed on the front, this drawing depicts Leopold the Good, Duke of Lorraine (1679-1729) with his son François Etienne (1708-1767), the future Holy Roman Emperor and husband of Maria Theresa of Austria, in the grounds of their country residence, the Château de Lunéville.  The fact that the group is gathered around architectural plans may indicate that the drawing was made shortly after Leopold relocated his court to Lunéville, in around 1700, and refurbished the castle.  The artist is presumed to be the figure identified as Valentin Duval, who may have been the Duke's architect for the project.