Marie Anne Françoise Gaillard de la Bouëxière de Gagny, dame de Richebourg, (1706-1751), is the striking central figure and graceful focus of this group portrait. Her father, Jean Gaillard de la Bouëxière, seigneur de Gagny et de la Bouëxière, (1676-1759), is seated behind her, his arm resting on her toilette table. And in the right half of the composition is seated her husband, Hyacinthe Hocquart, seigneur de Montfermeil, (1695-1764) - the couple married in 1725 and would have eight children - with their eldest son, Jean Hyacinthe Emmanuel Hocquart de Montfermeil, the future marquis de Montfermeil, de Coubron, and de Gagny, (1727-1778). Both her father and her husband were fermiers généraux and firmly established in the royal administration, their prominent positions allowing them to acquire property, wealth, and title. The couple's son also pursued a brilliant career in the royal administration, being appointed councilor to the Parliament of Paris in 1747, then councilor in the Seconde Chambre des Requêtes du Palais in 1758.
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| The informality of this portrait makes it something almost like a genre painting or a French "conversation piece"... |
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| ... and I find the affectionate and naturalistic pose of father and son particularly charming. |
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| I love the "still-life" of the silver toilette articles; I especially enjoy the detail of the pins just visible sticking out of the pin cushion. |
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| I love this very tender detail. |
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| Auctioned in November of 2025, the painting sold for €4,067,600, more than double its high estimate. |
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| Along the stretcher of the husband's chair is where the artist chose to sign and date the painting. |
