Nicasius Bernaerts (1620-1678)

A hefty result had been expected for the first French portrait of a hunter, painted by Jean Daret, which was preempted by a museum. But the price paid for a painting by Pieter Bruegel Younger—over a million euros—was a surprise.

The painter of the royal hunts made this pair of still lifes in 1731, when he was master of the genre and already the reference in France.

Until now, Portrait de l’artiste en chasseur (Portrait of the Artist as a Hunter) by Alexandre-François Desportes was deemed the first painting of its kind in the history of French art. A recent discovery by René Millet has changed that.

They were everywhere: gardens, menageries and even the private apartments of the kings and princes of France. Two exhibitions show how animals roamed the corridors of power in the 17th and 18th centuries.

With her mischievous, sparkling eyes and eternal smile, Josephine Baker revolutionized the dance world. As preparations are being made for her entry into the Pantheon, in Paris, this portrait also brings this admirable lady back into the spotlight.