Allongé, Auguste
French, 1833 – 1898
Le peintre et la nature Charcoal on paper 10.8 x 15.7 inches ALLO0007P Auguste Allongé studied painting under Léon Cogniet at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He initially tried historical painting, but quickly switched to landscape for which he was better suited. He traveled throughout France to paint including visits to the Marne, Oise, Var, Isère, and Burgundy regions. Together with Camille Bernier and Camille Corot, he was among the first landscape painters to attempt to capture on canvas the charms of Brittany. His forte was charcoal sketches, considered among the best of the period. He also experimented with lithography, but never offered any of his finished works to the public. Later in his career, he became a gifted contributor to the journals Illustration and Le Monde Illustré. His work can be seen in the following collections: Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Musée des Beaux-arts, Troyes; Musée Crozatier, Le Puy-en-Velay; as well as museums in Brest, Clamecy, La Rochelle, Le Harve, and Pontoise, France; and Sydney, Australia.
Billon, Charles
Swiss, 19th century – 20th century
Reflets Oil on Canvas 21.3 x 28.7 inches BILL0001P Charles Billon was active in Paris in the late 19th century and was featured at the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts between 1901 and 1910. He painted in both oil and watercolor.
Verso: Partly legible stamp: SENNCLIER PARIS
Brascassat, Jacques Raymond
French, 1804 – 1867
Étude pour la chasse de Méléagre Oil on canvas 23.4 x 28.7 inches BRAC0002P Brascassat was born into a family of artisans in Bordeaux and began his artistic career there under the tutelage of Théodore Richard, himself a student of Edouard Bertin. His artistic abilities were noticed when he was quite young and he was generally considered a prodigy in all his studies. He won a first prize for drawing from nature in the 1822 competition at the L’école de dessin de Bordeaux. In 1824 he moved to Paris and was admitted to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts where he studied under Louis Hersent. The following year he won second prize in the Prix de Rome; the first prize went to André Giroux. Subsequently, the Parisian and Bordeaux newspapers waged a lively campaign on his behalf. As a result, and as a special favor from the king, Charles X, (and on the recommendation of the Duchess de Berry) a 4-year scholarship was made available for Brascassat to complete his studies in Italy. In Italy, Brascassat met Camille Corot and became friends with Léon Fleury and Léopold Robert. He travelled often and painted en plein air throughout the countryside. From Rome, he sent 3 paintings to the 1827 Salon and earned a second-class medal. He displayed strong technique, painting in the neoclassical style. In 1828 he said: “I will let them paint nature as they understand it, and I will paint it as I see it and feel it.” Brascassat returned to Paris after completing his studies and sought a personal style while working in the landscape and historical genres. In 1829 he had a commission from the great Duchess Hélène of Russia. But the overwhelming success he had in 1831 with two animal canvases convinced him to devote himself exclusively to this genre, which had been somewhat neglected since Alexandre François Desportes and Jean Baptiste Oudry. He even went to a veterinary school to draw animal skeletons. He had incredible success with this decision and was admitted to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1846. Among his best works dating from this period
are Cow Attacked by Wolves, Bulls Fighting, Sheepfold, and Animals Resting. He won first-class medals at the Salon in 1831 and 1856 and the Légion d’honneur in 1837. One reviewer wrote of him: “Brascassat wins this year over numerous and dangerous antagonists…he is unquestionably considered the pearl of the Salon.” Another critic wrote: “Brascassat and Corot are simple artists gently moved by nature, delighting in its humble beauties.” Brascassat painted in the area around Fontainebleau in the 1820s and early 1830s at the same time as other early Barbizon artists including: Camille Corot, Jules Coignet, François Edouard Bertin, and Théodore Claude Félix Caruelle d’Aligny (whom Brascassat had also met in Italy). Charles Daubigny became his student in 1830 and later Jean Ferdinand Chaigneau (who won 3rd prize in the Prix de Rome in 1854) was also a student. Brascassat’s name appears in the registry of the Auberge Inn in 1831; he was one of the first of the new school of artists to stay there and paint in the area. During this period he also studied Flemish paintings. In 1835 he travelled through Holland and was influenced by the works of Albert Cuyp and Jacob van Ruisdael. Between 1836 and 1844, Brascassat traveled to many regions within France, as well as to England, Scotland, Holland and Italy, while often returning to paint in Fontainebleau. His health was never good and at several times during his life when feeling depressed because of his health, he burned paintings that he felt were unworthy of posterity. He was good friends with Léon Fleury and Constant Troyon. In 1855 the Revue Universelle des Arts wrote that “M. Brascassat is still the best painter of animals, and rightly so, because he reached the limits of the possible. His followers might with a great deal of effort reach his level, but never surpass it!” In 1857 he was named a member of the Academy in Rio de Janiero and was also made a member of the Institute and the Salon jury. In 1864, to the great loss of posterity, he burned over 350 paintings. Brascassat died in 1867. In his early landscapes, Brascassat represents a wonderful synthesis between neoclassical inspiration and the simplicity and realism of the 18th century Dutch landscape paintings. Brascassat’s work can be found in the Louvre, Paris, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bourdeaux, the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Reims, Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence; Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nantes; museums in Montanbau, Pau, Toulouse, Dijon, Autun, Valenciennes, France; the Victoria and Albert Museum, UK; The Wallace Collection, London,UK; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Harvard Museum, Boston. Refs: In the Forest of Fontainebleau: plate 51, The Oaks (page 73) and plate 53, Rocks in a Forest (page 86)
Verso: Label from gallery in Bourdeaux: V. BISSERIE-PASCAL/Cours de l’Intendance, 51/Bourdeaux
Carlaw, William
British, 1847 – 1889
Ramassage d'épaves au coucher du soleil Gouache 10 x 13.7 CARL0001P William Carlaw was a precocious artist. He started drawing at a very young age and then became a student at the Glasgow School of Art. After school, he worked as a draughtsman for Messrs Maclure & Macdonald’s lithographic establishment for eleven years. In his spare time he practiced water color and eventually received enough encouragement to leave his job and devote himself to art. He was most successful depicting the sea. His work can be found in the art museum in Glasgow, Scotland.
Decker, Georg
Hungarian, 1818 – 1894
La Dame au camélia Oil on canvas (relined) 30.7 x 25.1 DECK0001P Georg Decker was the son of the painter Johann Stephan Decker and brother of the painters Albert and Gabriel Decker. After studying with his father, Georg trained at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste (Fine Arts Academy) in Vienna, where he studied under Peter von Cornelius and Moritz Ludwig von Schwind. In 1861 he joined the artist union “Kuenstlerhaus.” He was known mostly for portraits, including miniatures, and genre scenes. Although he was best known for painting in oil, he began using pastel after a stay in Dresden, and achieved great success with this medium as well.
This image of the La Dame au camélia is based on a novel by Alexandre Dumas fils (1824-95). It is the story of the incandescent love affair between a conventional young man named Armand Duval and Marguerite Gautier, a beautiful Parisian courtesan with expensive tastes. Marguerite is known as the lady of the camellias because she always carried a bouquet of the flowers. The novel opens after Marguerite has died of consumption; the story is told by Armand in retrospect.
Armand meets and falls in love with Marguerite, eventually convincing her to leave her protector to live with him in the country. However, his father who cannot convince him to leave her, goes directly to Marguerite and tells her that Armand’s sister will lose a current marriage proposal because of the scandal attached to her liaison with his son. She sacrifices her love of Armand for the sake of his sister and runs away without telling Armand why; he only finds out of her selfless gesture after she dies in Paris. The novel, Lady of the Camellias, was published in Paris in 1848. Because of the revolution, the novel was not particularly successful so in 1949 Dumas, who was deeply in debt, turned his novel into a play. Too scandalous for the censors of the French Republic who ruled following the Revolution, the play was not performed. Finally, after the coup d’état by Napoleon III in December, 1851, the play was approved and it opened in Paris in February of 1852. The play was a sensational success and caught the attention of Giuseppe Verdi, who set out to turn it into an opera (with libretto by Francesco Maria Piave). La Traviata opened in Venice in 1853. A new cast in 1854 turned the opera into a wild success and productions opened in New York and London by 1856. In the 20th century, The Lady of the Camellias was retitled Camille and more than 40 films have been based on the story. Most famous is the 1936 version directed by George Cukor and starring Greta Garbo as Marguerite and Robert Taylor as Armand. A more recent version, in 1984, starred Greta Scacchi and Colin Firth. The character of Marguerite Gautier is based on an actual woman (and notorious courtesan), Marie Duplessis (1824-1847) ,with whom Alexander Dumas fils had been involved.
Deshayes, Eugène
French, 1828-1890
Promenade près de la rivière Oil on Canvas 36.2 x 25.5 inches DESH0002P Eugène Deshayes studied under his father, Jean Eleazar Deshayes. He exhibited at the Salon from 1848 to 1867. He spent much of his time painting in Normandy. Some of his small studies demonstrate a sensibility akin to that of Eugène Boudin or Camille Corot. He was an excellent painter, watercolorist, and draughtsman with a poetic sensibility when lends subtle nuances to his atmospheric paintings of the coast. His work can be found in the Musée d’Orsay, Paris; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts; the Bowes Museum, County Durham, England; the Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts; and museums in Chartres, La Rochelle, Mulhouse, and Rouen, France.
Dupré, Léon Victor
French, 1816 – 1879
Vaches dans le champ Oil on canvas 13.3 x 21.6 inches DUPV0005P Léon Victor Dupré was taught by his older brother, the painter Jules Dupré. He also worked in his father’s porcelain factory, learning the exacting skills necessary in the painting of porcelain. These talents greatly increased his technique in rendering minute detail. His canvases are seldom very large and the human and animal figures are usually quite small in relation to the grand, luminous skies of which he was fond. Like his brother, he often painted river banks under stormy skies. He won a third-class medal in 1849. His best works include Village in the Berry, Banks of the Oise and Pool in the Landes. His works can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam among others.
Ecole Autrichienne
Austrian, 19 – 20th Century
Flowers of Summer Oil on canvas 21.9 x 17.9 inches ECAU0001P This umbrella term, meaning “Austrian School,” refers to works of art characterized by a classical Austrian academic style.
Ecole Française
French, 19th Century
Matin d'été dans la campagne Gouache 7.1 x 10 inches ECOL0011P This umbrella term, meaning “French School,” refers to works of art characterized by a classical French academic style.
Ecole Italienne
Italian, 19th Century
Flowers Against a Mountain Landscape Oil on canvas 29 x 42 inches ECOI0002P This umbrella term, meaning “Italian School,� refers to works of art characterized by a classical Italian academic style.
Ecole Suisse
Swiss, 19-20th Century
Bleu dans les nuages Oil on canvas 15 x 18.3 inches ECOS0001P This umbrella term, meaning “Swiss School,� refers to works of art characterized by a classical Swiss academic style.
Fortuney, Louis
French, 1878 – 1950
L’élégante en promenade Pastels on paper 7.3 x 4.9 FORT0001P Louis Fortuney, whose real name was Léon Ernest Fortuné Andrieux, was primarily a pastellist. Although he produced some seascapes, he was mostly interested in showing life in Paris, brightly colored street scenes and cafes, all drawn from life and generally without any moralistic or psychological overtones. His most popular scenes, like the two in our collection, are those of la
belle époque, the “beautiful era,” from the late 1800s until World War I. In later life, Fortuney moved to the south of France.
Verso: Label from gallery in Marseilles: ENCADREMENTS EN TOUS GENRES [Frames of all types] DORURE-MIROITERIE [Gilt mirrors] TIRAN Fils Aîné 35, Rue Thubaneau – Marseilles GALERIE DE TABLEAUX [Picture Gallery] VENTE-ACHAT-RESTAURATION [Sell- Buy-Restore]
Fortuney, Louis
French, 1878 – 1950
La parisienne au marché aux fleurs Pastels on paper 7.3 x 4.9 FORT0002P Louis Fortuney, whose real name was Léon Ernest Fortuné Andrieux, was primarily a pastellist. Although he produced some seascapes, he was mostly interest in showing life in Paris, brightly colored street scenes and cafes, all drawn from life and generally without any moralistic or psychological overtones. His most popular scenes, like the two in our collection, are those of la belle époque, the “beautiful era,” from the late 1800s until World War I. In later life, Fortuney moved to the south of France.
Huet, Paul
French, 1803 – 1869
Roses trémières Oil on paper on laminate 26.9 x 14.9 HUET0007P Paul Huet was one of the “petit maîtres” of 19th century French landscape painting—a painter of romantic landscapes and a precursor of both the Barbizon school and the Impressionists. From an early age Huet painted en plein air, especially in Paris and its environs, in the Parc Saint-Cloud and the Ile Séguin. In 1818, he studied briefly in the studio of Pierre Guérin and from 1819 to 1822 he was tutored by Antoine-Jean Gros. In 1820, he also attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, and in 1822, he studied figural painting at the Académie Suisse. Although his early works show the influence of Antoine Watteau and Jean-Honoré Fragonard, the major influence on his work would be that of the English landscape painters, especially after his meeting in 1820 with watercolorist Richard Parkes Bonington. They became close friends and often painted together in Normandy. At the Salon of 1824, Huet discovered the work of John Constable, and this marked a turning-
point in his career; his palette became darker, his paint became thicker and he began to show a new sensitivity to the landscape. Huet was considered to be an innovator in the depiction of landscape in a romantic vein and by 1830 he had become one of the leading painters in this manner. Having made his debut at the Salon in 1827, he continued to exhibit there until 1869. He also exhibited in 1834 at the Exposition des Beaux-Arts in Lille, where he received a gold medal for his painting Landscape: Evening (Lille, Musée des beaux-arts), an evocative composition of a woman by the bank of a stream. In 1841, he was made Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur and in 1855 showed at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, where Flood at Saint-Cloud (Paris, Louvre) was successfully received. His works are in the collections of the De Young Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (3); Louvre, Paris (7); Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota; Musée d'Orsay, Paris; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.; National Gallery, London, UK; and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Verso: Artist’s wax seal.
Isabey, Louis Gabriel Eugène (Attributed to)
French, 1803-1886
Pêcheurs près de la falaise d'Étretat Oil on canvas mounted on board 15.7 x 24.8 inches ISAB0007P
Born in Paris, the son of the portrait painter Jean Baptiste Isabey, Eugène Isabey practically grew up in the Louvre and other equally artistically stimulating environs. He began painting, and painting well, at a young age. In 1820, he visited the Normandy coast leading him to paint seascapes that would solidify his position as a leading French romantic painter. Later Isabey traveled with Eugène Delacroix to England where he became acquainted with, and influenced by, British painters, Joseph Mallord William Turner and Richard Parkes Bonington. From Bonington, Isabey adopted the technique of painting on a light background, as opposed to the dark backgrounds popular in France at the time. Isabey also made drawings of other scenic areas in France to illustrate travel volumes and made many landscape drawings and watercolors throughout his life. As the official artist accompanying the French expedition to Algiers in 1830, Isabey illustrated the account of the expedition. Disillusioned when these drawings and oil studies failed to sell on his return, he chose another subject area. His success with an anecdotal genre painting at the 1831 Salon led him to a new specialty in historical genre painting. Isabey's skill with elegant court dress and elaborately re-created ceremonies of earlier centuries, in turn, led to an appointment as one of Louis-Philippe's court painters.
He made his debut at the Salon in 1824 with seascapes and landscapes, obtaining a firstclass medal in the category of genre and marine painting. In 1827, Isabey exhibited views of Normandy, for which he was awarded a first-class medal once again, though the influence of his father was partly responsible for this brilliant success. He made yet another appearance at the Salon of 1831 with several landscapes and seascapes. He was made Chvalier of the Légion d’Honneur in 1832, and on January 21, 1852 he was awarded the Croix d’Officier. Finally, he received first prize at the Exposition Universelle of 1855. Isabey continued to take part in the Paris exhibitions until 1878. In 1830, he was appointed draughtsman for the Algiers expedition, and Isabey senior later presented Charles X with a drawing by his son representing Toulon harbor on the eve of the departure of the fleet, which, according to the newspapers of the day, the Dauphin was pleased to accept. Even so, this trip to Algiers did not have a strong influence on his work. Many of Isabey’s paintings date from the 1830s, especially paintings of interiors with a very subtle grayish tint. The colors of his most important works found their inspiration in works of the Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens. Toward the end of his career, he produced many watercolors, some of which can be said to signal the beginnings of Impressionism. He was also the teacher of Eugène Boudin and Johan Barthold Jongkind, two prominent precursors of Impressionism. In 1997, the Louvre acquired a collection of Isabey’s sketchbooks, some of which evoke the artist’s sojourns in Normandy and Brittany between 1843 and 1855, or in London between 1870 and 1871. These sketchbooks display the rapidity and ease with which he created his works and also his fantastic imagination. His works are in the collections of the Musée du Louvre, Paris (9 paintings, 613 drawings); the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia; National Gallery, London; Musée d’Orsay, Paris; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Wallace Collection, London; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Japy, Louis Aimé
French, 1840 – 1916
Les Pêcheurs de Venise Oil on canvas 21.6 x 29.1 inches JAPY0008P A student of François Louis Français and of Camille Corot, Louis Aimé Japy made his Salon debut in 1864, during the height of the Barbizon movement. He made trips to Italy early in his career, as was customary for a young artist, but it was the regions of his native Doubs and the Jura that most captured his heart; these regions inspired most of his compositions. Japy exhibited his views of the French countryside regularly at the Salon, receiving a medal in 1870, earning a second-class medal in 1873 and gold medals at both of the Expositions Universelles in 1889 and 1900. In 1883, he was made a member of the Société des Artistes Français, earning him exemption from all future Salon jury selection and the ability to exhibit freely at the Salons. He was recognized again in 1906, when he was elected Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. Japy’s art can be viewed in museums in the following cities: Paris, France (Louvre); Budapest, Hungary; Manchester, England; Salford, England; Washington, D.C.; Amsterdam,Netherlands; and Langres, Limoux, Morlaix, Roanne, and St-Etienne, all in France.
Palmaroli González, Vicente
Spanish, 1834 – 1896
Madonna Oil on wood panel 17.3 x 9 PALM0001P Vicente Palmaroli y González was the son of the Italian lithographer, Gaetano Palmaroli. He was a pupil of José Madrazo y Agudo and studied at the Real Academia de San Fernando in Madrid. He travelled to Italy in 1857 to complete his training and became director of the academy of Spain in Rome in 1881. In 1867 he Vicente travelled to Paris for the World Fair where he met Ernest Meissonier who influenced his later work. He was a member of the Real Academia de San Fernando and director of the Madrid gallery. He was awarded a silver medal at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris and in Madrid in 1871. His work can be found in the City Hall in Madrid, Spain; and in museums and private collections in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Saint Louis, and New York.
Verso:
Label probably added by gallery or museum with information (in german) on the artist. Translation: History and Genre painter Born Sept 5, 1834 in Zorzelejo (near Madrid) Died January 25, 1896 in Schßlervon de Madrazo 1872 –became a member of the Academy of St. Fernando, Madrid 1882- became Director of the Spanish Academy of Arts in Rome His paintings are in several locations in Madrid: the Madrid Museum, several state buildings (the Senate Palaces, the Congress, and Ministries), and in the town hall.
Petitjean, Edmond Marie
French, 1844 – 1925
Les Lavandières près du pont Oil on canvas 51.2 x 76.7inches PETI0003P Born in Les Vosges, France, Edmond Petitjean was a painter of seascapes and landscapes. He is best known for his seascapes (boating and harbor scenes), although he also painted landscapes; his style was impressionistic. His first exhibited works appeared at the Salon of 1874. In 1883 he became a member of the Salon of French Artists. There he received a first place medal in 1884. In the 1889 exposition Universelle he received a silver medal, and in 1900 he received a gold medal. In 1892 he was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. He was eventually awarded the highest honor at the Exposition Universelle, the ‘Hors Concours’, meaning that he was no longer required to compete for placement in the exhibit. In addition to showing a large body of work in France, Petitjean also exhibited work in the early 1890s in Munich. Towards the end of his career he was especially interested in the Atlantic, and he painted many scenes of ocean ports. Petitjean greatly admired the work of Monet and we can see his influence in Petitjean’s light quick brushstroke and sun-drenched palette. Petitjean was a respected Impressionist in his own right and his work influenced the generation of American painters who had come to Paris during the last years of the 19th century. He died in 1925 in Paris, where he had kept his studio almost all his life.
His work can be found at museums in: Musée du Louvre, Paris; Musée d’Orsay, Paris; Musée des beaux-arts, Lille; Musée des beaux-arts, Dijon; Musée des beaux-arts, Bordeaux; Musée des beaux-arts, Marseille; Musée des beaux-arts, Chambéry; and Musée du vieux château, Laval, France.
Schenker, Jacques Matthias
Swiss, 1854 – 1927
Canal au printemps Oil on cardboard 7.2 x 11 SCHE0001P
Jacques Matthias Schenker studied from 1870 to 1876 at the academy of fine arts in DĂźsseldorf and at the school of fine arts in Weimar. During his training in Weimar, his teacher Theodor Hagen introduced him to the newly fashionable practice of plein air painting. From 1876 to 1907 he worked in Dresden, where in 1879 he founded a school for women. After 1907 he lived at Vitznau. He was primarily a landscape painter and loved painting in Normandy. His works can be found in museums in Dresden and Weimar in Germany, and in Saint Gall in France.
Schenker, Jacques Matthias
Swiss, 1854 – 1927
Étang au printemps Oil on cardboard 7.2 x 11 SCHE0002P
Jacques Matthias Schenker studied from 1870 to 1876 at the academy of fine arts in Düsseldorf and at the school of fine arts in Weimar. During his training in Weimar, his teacher Theodor Hagen introduced him to the newly fashionable practice of plein air painting. From 1876 to 1907 he worked in Dresden, where in 1879 he founded a school for women. After 1907 he lived at Vitznau. He was primarily a landscape painter and loved painting in Normandy. His works can be found in museums in Dresden and Weimar in Germany, and in Saint Gall in France.
Veron, Alexandre René
French, 1826 – 1897
Mare aux fées, Fontainebleau Oil on panel 8.6 x 6.2 inches VERO0006P Alexandre René Veron studied under Hippolyte “Paul” Delaroche and made his Salon debut in 1848. He has a similar painting style to that of Charles François Daubigny and was affiliated with the painters of the Barbizon School. He worked first and foremost as a landscape painter and exhibited landscapes exclusively at the Salon over a period of three decades. His preferred subject matter was the forest of Fontainebleau, but he also painted scenes in Auvers-sur-Oise, Pontoise, Crecy-en-Brie, Senlis, Osny, Agenteuil, Asnieres and St-Valery-sur-Somme. His work can be found in the Musée Daubigny in Auvers-sur-Oise, the Indiana Art Museum, and in museums in Dijon, Nantes, Perigueux, and Saint-Lo in France.
Verso: Stamp from shop “Tasset & Lhote in Paris which carries paintings (encadrements), canvases (toiles) and fine colors (couleurs fines) TASSET & LHOTE ENCADREMENTS 51 rue Fontaine PARIS TOILES COULEURS FINES And title of piece: Mare aux fées, Fontainebleau