Sophie de Tott's portrait of Comtesse de Tessé
This portrait in oils of Adrienne, Comtesse de Tessé, the foster mother of Sophie de Tott, was reproduced in the late François Schlumberger's book Chaville et Viroflay , published in 1997. It portrays her in a very sympathetic manner, as a thoughtful, gentle and sensitive person. She is dressed in a delicate shade of cream with trimmings of pale salmon pink. The light seems to bathe her in an almost golden hue, allowing the gown and her skin to blend into each other without any harsh boundaries. We know that Mme de Tessé was not considered beautiful but the portrait depicts her as gracious and kind. There is something relaxed and informal about her posture that is very pleasing and gives the impression that we are meeting her on intimate terms. Schlumberger said that the original painting was at the time of publication in the private collection of a certain Monsieur Léotard, a descendant of the family of the Comte de Mun, a close friend of the Tessé family. M. Léotard