18th-century French school.

18th-century French school. Portrait of the Marquis de Blou. Oil on canvas. 92.5 x 73 cm. Relining and restoration. Provenance: Formerly in the collection of the Château de Thueyts (Ardèche), then the Château du Gué-Péan (Loir-et-Cher), part of a group of family portraits originally displayed set into the wood paneling of a drawing room. An old postcard shows the painting in situ in the billiard room of the Château du Gué-Péan. Jean-Baptiste, Count of Blou and Lord of Pressis (1736–1821), known as the Marquis de Blou, son of Charles François de Blou and Henriette de La Baulme de Beaulieu. In 1757, he married Marie de Garidel, with whom he had children. The de Blou family originated in Ardèche, where its documented lineage dates back to the 14th century and split into two main branches: that of the lords of Laval and that of the lords of Préssis. The family occupied the Château de Thueyts from the 15th century until the end of the 19th century.