[I tried asking this with Japanese characters in the question, but they came out as codes -- at least on my browser -- so I'm asking the question again. The characters seem to display in the post itself.]
On a Japanese site I ran across a painting that I like that shows a French woman. The trouble is, though, that I can't read the text and don't know who she is. My browser doesn't have the font to show most of the characters. According to a net translator some of the characters above the picture mean 'wit and beauty combining' (才色兼備) and 'king woman' (王女 -- 'queen', I assume).
Here's a small and truncated version of her picture (just 19kb). Even if there's nobody around who can read the text, maybe somebody will recognize her or remember the painter.
http://wadaphoto.jp/supe/images/beru22.jpg
Here's the link to the whole page that includes the text (it may take a minute or two to load on an ordinary modem).
http://wadaphoto.jp/supe/supe03.htm
If possible, I'll like to know who she is and who painted the picture. Thanks.
There are some Katakana characters in the image description (those characters are used to write non-Japanese words): "yaderaido".
The final "O" probably doesn't exist in the original name and the "R" may or may not stand for an "L". One thing is sure: if that's supposed to be a French name, it's too japanized to be known.
It looks very rococo -- Fragonard? Watteau? Boucher?
Could "yaderaido" be Adelaide?
Uriel, you're right. I mistook the "A" for a "YA". It's actually "Aderaido" and it most likely stands for "Adelaide", as you suggested.
Guest, I believe you've got it! Thanks. And thanks too to Uriel for helping with the name, and to Sigma for suggesting another possibility.
Here's a link to yet another picture of Marie Adelaide (as the Goddess Diana). This one's by Nattier.
http://tinyurl.com/8ylow
The same features -- it has to be the same person. Now all I need to know is who painted the painting on the Japanese page. If it's not mentioned, I can probably find out by looking for art pages that have pictures of Marie Adelaide. Now that I have her name I'm 90% there. Thanks.
So far I haven't been able to find the name of the artist.
Thanks. From Google I see a link between Enrico Albrici and Maria Adelaide Baroncelli, but I believe that's a different person from Marie Adélaïde, daughter of Louis XV.
Hey, Gjones, I believe I've got it!
I've found the exact same painting on another (Japanese!) webpage.
http://www.nittsu.co.jp/supp/2003zenhan/versailles2/versailles_2.htm
Written in Latin characters, we can see the name of the photographer and the place where the painting was shot: （c）Jean-Marc Manai, Chateau de Versailles.
But here's the best part: in Katakana, the name of the painter, « ジャン＝マルク・ナティエ » (jan maruku nateie).
As usual, Western names written in Katakana aren't very easy to recognize...
Fortunately, by googling « アデライド » (aderaido) on Google images, I found that:
http://www.nichiou.jp/r_pictures/c4.html
Another portrait of what IMHO seems to be the same person with, in Latin characters, the name of the painter: « Jean-Marc Nattier »!
« Jean-Marc Nattier » = « jan maruku nateie » ? Could it be the same person?
I'm tempted to believe so. Specially because I've found some more portraits of Marie Adélaïde, all by Jean-Marc Nattier on this page:
http://worldroots.com/brigitte/royal/arti-s.htm
But, I have the unconfortable feeling that the painting you've found and the other paintings by Jean-Marc Nattier don't look like they were made by the same person. You may want to check all that in your local library.
One thing is sure though, you can thank me! :-)
>>« ジャン＝マルク・ナティエ » (jan maruku nateie). <<
Not "nateie", but "natie". (jan maruku natie).
テイ is "tei".
ティ is "ti".
eito(jpn),
thanks for your correction! It confirms that « ジャン＝マルク・ナティエ » must stand for « Jean-Marc Nattier ».