(Paris 1574–1645)
Portrait of Honoré d’Albert, Duc de Chaulnes, half-length, wearing armour and the sash of the Order of the Holy Spirit,
oil on canvas, 74 x 62 cm, framed

Dumonstier was court painter of Henri IV, Louis XIII and Gaston d’Orléans. He was also an important connoisseur and collector, and was accomplished in many fields: Florent le Comte in his Cabinet des singularitez noted that ‘il avoit l’esprit des plus enjoüés & joüoit de differens instrumens; son merite particulier lui attira l’estime du Prince qui lui avoit decerné une bonne pension dont il a toûjours loüi jusques à la mort’ [He had the most enchanting mind and played various instruments; his particular merit earned him the esteem of the Prince who awarded him a good pension from which he has always benefited until his death]. His portraits were often executed in coloured chalks. Large groups of portraits by Dumonstier are in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris (see J. Adhémar, Les dessins de Daniel Dumonstier au Cabinet des Estampes, Gazette des Beaux-Arts, March 1970, LXXV, pp. 129–150) and in the Louvre, Paris (see J. Guiffrey and P. Marcel, Inventaire général des dessins du Musée du Louvre et du Musée de Versailles, Ecole Francaise, Paris 1949, V, nos. 3799–3827). The earliest portrait from these groups is that of N. Brulart, Marquis de Sillery, dated 1605, which was also in Lagoy’s collection.

The present painting appears very close in style to Daniel Dumonstier. It is currently unconfirmed whether he ever executed portraits in oil, however this elegant portrait of the Duc de Chaulnes bears all the hallmarks of his accomplished style. The sitter was a prominent figure in France under the reign of Louis XIII. His brother, Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes, was a favourite of the King who created Honoré an officer in the government of Amboise, of which Luynes was Governor. He quickly rose through the ranks and was soon appointed Governor of Picardy, Knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit, and Marshal of France. In 1620 he was sent to London as ambassador, and King James I presented him and his entourage with gifts of jewels made by George Heriot. Created Duke of Chaulnes and Marshal of France in 1621, he took the name of Marshal Duke of Chaulnes. He served at the Siege of Saint-Jean-d’Angély and the Siege of Montauban. That same year he obtained the government and citadel of Amiens after his brother died. He became an accomplished military leader in the Franco-Spanish Wars, resigning as a Governor of the Auvergne in 1645.