Léon-Jean-Basile Perrault

Balaban & Katz Co., Chicago
Sale: The Chicago Theater sale, The Chicago Art Gallery, January 1970
Acquired at the above sale

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This large painting is in lovely condition and is ready to hang. The surface is cleaned. The canvas has been lined. The lining is good and stabilizes the paint layer effectively. The face, hands and arms show no retouches. There is a more golden color on her knees and spine of the book, which may be restoration. There are some restorations diagonally through the dress between the breast on the right and the top fringe. There are no other restorations apparent in the remainder of the picture. The slightly discolored marks on the knees of the dress and in the folds on the lower left may be only partially removed. If I were to do anything it would be to examine these smaller areas to determine if they are in fact restoration.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Having studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in the studios of Francois Picot and William Bouguereau, Léon Perrault’s academic training and talents as a portraitist brought him to the attention of many American clients and led to important commissions and his inclusion in major collections. One of these collections was Balaban & Katz , owners of more than 100 cinemas in the Midwestern United States. The majority of these theaters were in Chicago and designed in an ornate period-revival style by the Chicago firm Rapp & Rapp, and included the Uptown, Granada, Oriental and Chicago theaters, where this painting by Perrault likely hung.

These Movie Palaces were elaborately decorated to attract moviegoers and extend a fantasy into the built environment through a pastiche of eccentric styles of ornamentation, including French baroque, Italian Renaissance, Orientalist, Aztec and Gothic, among others and in endless combinations. They intended to dazzle crowds and draw the patronage of the upper middle class by consciously referencing a notion of “aristocratic Europe” and advertised that they would make “the average citizen feel like royalty”. In fact, the façade of the Chicago theater references the Arc de Triomphe, while the foyer's grand staircase is modeled after the Paris Opera House’s and the mezzanine level is influenced by the chapel at Versailles. No expense was spared in creating these opulent theaters and a great deal of fine and decorative art was brought from all over the world in order to complete the aesthetic. However, the popularity of these extravagant movie houses began to fade and audiences moved to the multiplex cinemas of the suburbs, Balaban & Katz sold their theaters and the incredible stores of art were offered in a highly-publicized 5-day sale conducted by the Chicago Art Gallery. Rob Goldstine, auctioneer and director of the Chicago Art Gallery lamented “it’s a sad thing, stripping those theaters… they were a part of Chicago” (Urban C. Lehner, Paintings, Objets d’Art, Lure Tough Bidders, Nostalgic Lookers, Wall Street Journal, January 7, 1970, page 5).

Perrault enjoyed enormous success in France during his lifetime, exhibiting at the Salon regularly and earning medals in 1864, 1876, and 1878 as well as being named Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur in 1887. His works are constructed with a deep awareness of the Academic canvases of his teachers, and paintings of children, putti, and dreamy young maidens appealed to the Salon jury as well as art collectors on both sides of the Atlantic.

In the present work, Perrault presents a sitter lost in contemplation, either enrapt by her novel or meditating on her Livre d’heures (Book of Hours). These small volumes  included thirty-seven prayers to the Virgin Mary, hence their being seen as feminine and are most often held by a female sitter in portraiture to symbolize virtue and contemplation. In the shaded forest, a dramatic atmosphere is created by a soft, almost divine illumination, and the dried leaves on the ground imply that she is reflecting on the past.