Rouvier, Pierre - portrait of a man

This miniature portrait is signed and dated "Rouvier 1792" for Pierre Rouvier (1742-1815) who was born in Aix and worked in Paris. The miniature is set into the lid of a snuff box of the period, which is in excellent condition.

Schidlof comments "Rouvier is an excellent miniaturist, and although he is highly regarded by the amateurs, is still not given the attention he deserves. His miniatures show an assured and faultless drawing, a pleasant colouring in pastel shades and much expression. His technique is a cross between Sicardi and Campana, a little less precise than the former and less soft than the latter. In most cases the works of Rouvier are equal to those of Sicardi and almost always surpass those of Campana."

The Louvre Museum catalogue includes four miniatures by him and there is one in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

The sitter is unknown but it is understood that in 1792 it was dangerous to be displaying Boubon symbols. The subject is a soldier wearing a sword, with a white cockade on his hat, and has a scarf showing the blue and white of the Bourbons.

There appear to be two possible interpretations of the portrait.

Firstly, the more obvious message of a man holding letters from a lover, together with a miniature portrait of her in a locket.

Secondly, in the opinion of this collector, a hidden message beyond the first message, pledging loyalty to the old calendar. This may sound odd, but the following should be noted.

In 1793 the new Revolutionary Calendar was adopted, with 1793 becoming Year 1, and the old style of year numbering was outlawed. (By way of example, the adjacent miniature by Berjon is dated 2e for 1794.) The right hand inside face of the open locket in this Rouvier miniature cannot be seen, but the left hand inside face has the letters "AD". Watches often had a cover to protect the glass face, but it was less common for a miniature portrait to be housed in locket with a hinged cover. Thus it seems the apparent locket is in fact a watch on a chain, with "AD" being a hidden message for Anno Domino, and Rouvier is using the miniature as a silent protest about the change.

Out of all the possible names that could be represented by two initials, no other pair of initials could represent the outlawed calendar, thus the probability seems that such a coincidence was planned, particularly given the date of the miniature as 1792 and the Bourbon symbols. Additionally, a lover would more likely seek to engrave the inside of a locket with her name, rather than her initials.

Therefore instead of love letters, the sitter is believed to be holding a copy of the old calendar in his right hand, with his hand on that and on his heart, to pledge loyalty to the old calendar and to the Bourbons. It even seems significant that he is holding the calendar in his RIGHT (i.e. symbolically correct) hand, not in his left hand. By not showing the other face of the watch, Rouvier would also be able to claim it was a portrait, if he was challenged by the authorities.

For more on the Revolutionary Calendar see The French Revolutionary Calendar

Literature: Les Peintres en Miniature p449. 883