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(2) François-Hubert Drouais [Drouais le fils]
(b Paris, 14 Dec 1727; d Paris, 21 Oct 1775). Son of (1) Hubert Drouais. He trained with his father and then with Donat Nonotte, Carle Vanloo, Charles-Joseph Natoire and François Boucher. He was made an associate member (agréé) of the Académie Royale in 1755, on presentation of a Portrait of a Lady (untraced), and quickly built up a practice at court. Towards the end of 1756 he was summoned to Versailles to paint the two infant sons of the Dauphin, the Duc de Berry and the Comte de Provence (São Paulo, Mus. A. Assis Châteaubriand), a painting whose success assured him of royal patronage for the rest of his life. This charming portrait of two future kings (Louis XVI and Louis XVIII) playing with a dog was exhibited at the Salon of 1757, along with seven other portraits, and the critical reaction was very favourable. These paintings illustrate themes that Drouais was to use frequently: a pastoral setting, a relaxed intimacy of pose and fancy dress: often his sitters are shown as gardeners, Savoyards, harvesters or ‘montagnards’. In addition, his technique was astonishingly secure, careful, fluent and calculated to please.
Part of the Drouais family
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