19th Century European Paintings & Sculpture
19th Century European Paintings & Sculpture
Property from the Estate of William J. Levy, Sold to Benefit the Endowed Scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania
Merry-Joseph Blondel
Portrait of a Man, said to be Charles Viollet
Auction Closed
February 2, 09:59 PM GMT
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from the Estate of William J. Levy, Sold to Benefit the Endowed Scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania
Merry-Joseph Blondel
French 1781 - 1853
Portrait of a Young Man, said to be Charles Viollet
signed and dated lower right: Blondel/1835.
oil on canvas
canvas: 23 ¾ by 19 ¾ in.; 60 ½ by 50 cm
framed: 32 by 28 in.; 81 by 71 cm
Sotheby's New York, 27 January 2005, lot 65
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner
Blondel began his artistic training under the guidance of Baron Regnault. At the age of 22 Blondel entered and won the Prix de Rome with his rendition of Aeneas Rescuing his Father from Burning Troy. Shortly thereafter he traveled to Italy and remained there until 1812.
Upon his return to Paris, Blondel was elected a member of the Academy of Beaux-Arts and accepted a post at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Blondel received many commissions and his work can be seen in the gallery of Diana at Fontainbleau and the ceiling in the Henry II Salon in the Musée du Louvre.
The sitter in the present painting is thought to be Charles Viollet. While not much is known about Charles, his family is rather well known. His son, Paul, was a historian and founder of the Law Library and his great grand-daughter, Helene Roger-Viollet, founded the Maison Roger-Viollet, the largest foundation devoted to photography in France.