FRENCH SCHOOL OF THE MID-NINETEENTH CENTURY.... - Lot 269

Lot n° 269

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15000 - 20000 EUR

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Result : 25 000EUR

FRENCH SCHOOL OF THE MID-NINETEENTH CENTURY.... - Lot 269 - Osenat

FRENCH SCHOOL OF THE MID-NINETEENTH CENTURY. ENTOURAGE OF WINTERHALTER. "The Emperor Napoleon III in general uniform in front of the Tuileries throne" Large oil on canvas (restorations, frame changed) 230 x 155 cm. A.B.E. About 1853. History: The official portraits of the new emperor Napoleon III are known to have been widely distributed, as the numerous replicas commissioned to Franz-Xaver WINTERHALTER after the official portrait made in 1853 and exhibited at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1855. We know that the official image that was to serve as propaganda for the new regime had to be striking for the French who had just ratified by plebiscite the coup d'état and the foundation of the Second Empire, but also for the foreign courts very suspicious of the arrival of a new Bonaparte at the head of France. Consequently, there were many attempts by several artists before the new emperor validated the version that would become the official image throughout the Second Empire. Then other commissions, seeking more the psychological truth were realized: In 1861 by Hyppolite FLANDRIN, exposed with success at the Universal Exhibition of London of 1862 and admired by Queen Victoria. Empress Eugenie installed it in her study at the Tuileries until it was replaced by a new version, this time by Alexandre CABANEL whose modernity in dress pleased the Empress but confused and divided the critics. The full-length portrait that we present has the interest of being, in the present state of knowledge and publications, totally unpublished. It is both a great official portrait with the attributes of imperial power in the background, emphasizing the psychology of the model, with his gaze lost towards the distance. The imperial insignia are visible but discreet: The decor, similar to that of WINTERHALTER's painting, is identifiable although slightly evoked. One can recognize elements of the furniture of the throne room of the Tuileries, the throne with the arched backrest and laurel torus of Napoleon I which will appear in the background in the portraits of WINTERHALTER, FLANDRIN or CABANEL. We can also see the imperial arms embroidered in the center of the canopy of the throne. On the right, one can recognize the tripod foot of the bronze torchere by Thomire, one of a series of four executed on a design by Percier and Fontaine for the grand salon of Emperor Napoleon I at the Tuileries in 1811 (a pair preserved today at the Château de Versailles). Finally, the globe or orb, symbol of the temporal power of the Emperor, is visible on a cushion, but neither the imperial crown (the first model with the Regent at the top, shown on the portrait of WINTERHALTER, was perhaps not yet realized when our portrait was made), nor the great collar of the Legion of Honor and the ermine coat appear. The Emperor's outfit can be found on other official portraits, either full-length or as a rider, and it is the grand habit of a general of division with the grand cordon and the medals of the Legion of Honor, of Military Merit and the grand plaque of the order. These insignia can be found on the portraits of WINTERHALTER or the equestrian portraits of Alfred DEDREUX and Charles Louis MULLER. Portrait of the beginning of the reign : The physiognomy of the Emperor in this full-length portrait shows his face at the beginning of the reign. In 1853, he was 45 years old, the mustache was already stretched and waxed on the sides, the photographs taken before the coup d'état of 1852 show him with a fuller mustache. This coquetry of fine and waxed moustache that contemporaries often described, allows to date the portrait from the beginning of the reign. Finally, the ceremonial bicorn with white plume shows very conspicuously the tricolor cockade, a sign of the Emperor's attachment to the bonds of the Republic, the tricolor flag will be the flag of France throughout the Second Empire. Proposal of attribution : We know that following the re-establishment of the Empire, Napoleon III took some time before being satisfied with the version of WINTERHALTER that we know and widely distributed by copies of workshop. We know that several artists were asked to propose an official portrait. It is very likely that our painting was one of the first versions of an official portrait that did not convince the Emperor. He waited almost three years before validating WINTERHALTER's version. It was indeed Franz-Xaver de WINTERHALTER who won this competition, generating numerous studio versions (540 listed) of very unequal quality. Because of its sober style, the quality of the details of the face, the rendering of the fabrics, our painting could be attributed to Charles-Louis MULLER who executed several portraits of Napoleon III, in particular equestrian (museum of the Châteaux of Versailles and Trianon, museum of the Army). L

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FRENCH SCHOOL OF THE MID-NINETEENTH CENTURY.... - Lot 269 - Osenat

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