Objects of Vertu

A late 17th century oval portrait miniature depicting Jean-Francoise Colbert, attributed to Petitot, facing left, in brown cloak, lace cravat and with full bottomed wig, in later 19th/early 20th century pendant mount, the reverse engraved ‘Colbert Secretary to Louis 14th by Petitot’ (sic), on suspensory loop, length 45.5mm (excluding suspensory loop). £2,000-£2,600

---

Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) was born in Rheims, France, to a family of merchants. In 1649, he was appointed Councillor of State. He was recommended to King Louis XIV’s attention by Cardinal Mazarin, and from 1652, whilst Mazarin was in exile, was asked to manage the Cardinal’s affairs. After Mazarin’s death in 1661, Colbert’s rise to power continued: in January 1664 he became the Superintendent of Buildings: in 1665, Controller-General of Finances and in 1669, Secretary of State of the Navy, becoming highly influential in the much needed fiscal reforms. In particular, his actions aided the downfall of Nicholas Fouquet, who as Superintendent of Finances from 1553-61, had acquired enormous personal wealth, and was later imprisoned for alleged financial misconduct and embezzlement, where he remained until his death in 1680.

Colbert served as First Minister of State to Louis XIV until his death in 1683. Through excessive hard work and thrift, Colbert proved to be a highly respected minister, credited by many for bringing France’s finances back from bankruptcy. His lasting impact on the organisation of France’s politics and markets led to the term Colbertism.



Jean Petitot (the Elder) (1607-1691) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva before coming to England, where he received instruction from the master Sir Anthony Van Dyck. He, in turn, taught his son Jean Petitot (the Younger) the art of enamelling, and both were employed by King Charles I and King Louis XIV.

Jean Petitot (the Elder)’s career as an enamellist spanned seven decades of the seventeenth-century. He first developed his skills in enamelling at the court of Charles I in 1637, quickly earning respect for his highly accomplished portraits with their rich colouring and smoothly blended brushstrokes. After the outbreak of the Civil War, he left England in 1643 or 1644 and sought refuge at the French court in Paris, where he was soon in demand and appointed Court Painter in Enamel to Louis XIV. He received extensive patronage from the king and his circle at court until the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) when, as a Protestant, he was forced to return to Geneva where he died in 1691.

Jean Petitot (the Younger) (1653-1702), the eldest son of Jean and his wife, Marguerite Cuper, learnt his trade from his father, and early in his career settled in London, where he remained until 1682. During the years 1682-1695 he lived and worked in Paris, thereafter returning to London where he remained until his death in 1702.

For examples of Petitots’ work, a major collection is in the Jones Bequest at the Victoria and Albert Museum.; many works are in the Louvre, at Chantilly, and at Windsor.