Attributed to Jacques Antoine Marie LEMOINE (1751-1824) - Lot 31

Attributed to Jacques Antoine Marie LEMOINE (1751-1824) Portrait of Mademoiselle Duval, dancer at the Opéra Pen and black ink, gray wash, watercolor and white highlights. Signed lower right J A Lemoine / 1787. Titled at bottom Melle Duval / danseuse a l'opera. 17.5 x 12 cm As this name is fairly widespread, it is possible that biographical elements of different people have been mixed with those of Mademoiselle Duval (1718-after 1775), known as a talented dancer, composer and harpsichordist. Her first name remains unknown. Her approximate date of birth, like most facts about her, is taken from the writings of her contemporaries. Probably born illegitimate, she was nicknamed "la légende", the name Duval being merely a pseudonym. In 1736, her opera-ballet Les Génies ou les caractères de l'Amour was performed at the Paris Opéra to great acclaim.