Adèle Romany

The French dancer Auguste Vestris, the subject of this portrait, was the son of King Louis XVI’s dancing master. Auguste made his own ballet debut at the age of 12, soon usurping his father’s reputation. This portrait celebrates his slender form and fashionable tastes. His close-fitting jacket, beaver-fur hat, silk waistcoat, golden earrings, walking stick, and gloves complete the look of a dandy.

Adèle Romany trained in Paris in a segregated studio for women. She first contributed to the Paris Salon in 1793, the year she painted Vestris, and over her long career became known for depicting actors and musicians. This representation demonstrates skillful drawing and modeling, a refined sense of color, and a talent for lively characterization.

Auguste Vestris (1760-1842) was the son of King Louis XVI's renowned dance master and inheritor of the title "god of the dance." His meticulously fitted broadcloth coat, spotless cravat, beaver hat, brilliant gold earrings, and riding crop show the early influence of English countryside attire. Vestris's embrace of superlative materials and expert tailoring embodies the Revolutionary French vogue for all things English, or Anglomania, which overshadowed the ostentation of court dress in favor of the subtlety of durable woolens. The early date of this portrait makes it clear that Brummell, who solidified his social standing in London in 1799, did not invent but rather refined and helped codify this style into a recognizable symbol of the dandy brotherhood.