Portrait of Clotilde Briatte, Comtesse Pillet-Will by James Tissot
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19th -century French painter James Tissot offers us a portrait of sensuality and mystery
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- 19th -century French painter James Tissot offers us a portrait of sensuality and mystery
- Portrait of Clotilde Briatte is an exceptional example of Tissot's skill at using pastel
- The comtesse represented prestige, nobility and beauty but also had an interest in the occult
- Monumental in size and context, Tissot's portrait of the comtesse is an absolute marvel in execution
- Tissot is renowned as a master of Belle Epoque painting and his work is highly coveted by collectors
- Circa 1883-1885
- Canvas: 35 3/4" high x 63 1/8" wide Frame: 49" high x 76" wide
Item Details
- Width:
C:63 1/8" F:76" Inches - Height:
C:35 3/4" F:76" Inches - Period:
19th Century - Origin:
France - Subject:
Figurative - Artist:
Other
James-Jacques-Joseph Tissot
1836-1902· French
Portrait of Clotilde Briatte, Comtesse Pillet-Will
Pastel on paper laid down on canvas
World-renowned for his fascination with femininity and all its accoutrements, 19th -century French painter James Tissot offers us an intriguing mix of sensuality and mystery with his outstanding portrait of Clotilde Briatte. Tissot's portrait of the comtesse is a study of an innovative and compelling personality. Rendered with exquisite detail and draftsmanship, Tissot's use of pastel allows the artist to reproduce in great detail the billowy hydrangeas framing the comtesse's luxurious fur cloak, her shift-like translucent white wrap dress and her expression of composed tranquility.
For over a century the present work was known only by an image in Tissot's photo album and was misidentified as a "portrait of an unidentified lady, possibly the niece of the artist." The subject was only recently revealed to be Clotilde Briatte, the wife of Count Alexis Frederick Lois Pillet-Will, the director and regent of the Bank of France. The Pillet-Will's also owned the famous Chateau Margaux Vineyard. Their daughter Helen Marie became the Duchess of Thouars and the Princess of Taranto when she married the Duke of Thouars, Louis Charles Marie de La Tremoille. The comtesse was not just an interesting subject for Tissot because she represented prestige, nobility and beauty but also because she was a Spiritualist who had written many books under the pseudonym Charles d'Orino. In these books she recorded her communications with spirits and expounded on her occult interests.
Tissot was born in 1836 to a family of Italian descent in the port town of Nantes, France. His father was drapery merchant and his mother designed hats. His parent's involvement with textiles and fashion ultimately had a profound impact on Tissot's work. In 1856 he travelled to Paris and enrolled to study at the studios of Hippolyte Flandrin and Louis Lamothe. Tissot also became close with Whistler, Degas and Manet. His portraits of modern life became incredibly popular and were held in high critical acclaim.
Having enjoyed considerable success in Paris during the 1860s, Tissot fought in the Siege of Paris, and after the fall of the Commune in 1871, he went to London, where he stayed for the next ten years. He was incredibly successful as a painter there and also met the love of his life, Kathleen Newton, a divorcée, with whom he lived from about 1876 until her death in 1882. Following her death Tissot returned to Paris, where he had kept the home and studio he had built on the Avenue du Bois de Bologne.
Shortly after his return to Paris in 1882 Tissot joined the Société de Pastellistes Français as well as the Société d'Aquarellistes Français and his work was included in both societies' many exhibitions at the Galerie Georges Petit in Paris. He was so distraught over Kathleen's death that he turned to spiritualism, particularly séances, in order to communicate with her. It was through these occult circles that Tissot made the acquaintance of the comtesse. The "otherworldly" association of model and artist is subtly suggested in the comtesse's portrait, where she is both a spectral and highly fashionable vision in her shimmering white dress with gold bracelets gleaming against a fur-lined wrap with a celestial blue outer lining.
Monumental in size and context, Tissot's portrait of the comtesse is an absolute marvel in execution. Done around the same time as his La Femme a Paris series, this stunning work represents a shift in Tissot's subject matter and artistic technique. Riding on the artistic wave of the late 19th century's renewed interest in pastels, Tissot and his contemporaries, Degas and Manet, were inspired to create works in this medium.
Best-known for his famous works documenting the ostentatious outfits, lascivious exoticism and subtle social gestures of the rising bourgeoisie in late 19th-century France, Tissot imbues the minute details of his portraits with an extravagant energy, lending a monumental quality to his images of fashion and flirtation in both London and Paris. Portrait of Clotilde Briatte, Comtesse Pillet-Willis is an exceptional example of Tissot's skill at using pastel, and his ability to capture subtle qualities of light and shade.
Today Tissot is renowned as a master of Belle Epoque painting, and important collections of 19th Century art are not complete without his inclusion. His work is highly coveted by collectors, and demands high prices at auction. This particular portrait, unique in both size and medium, would make a rare and enchanting acquisition.
Circa 1883-1885
Canvas: 35 3/4" high x 63 1/8" wide
Frame: 49" high x 76" wide
PROVENANCE: Clotilde Briatte, Comtesse Pillet-Will Then by descent through the Pillet-Will family, Saumur LITERATURE: Willard E. Misfeldt, The Albums of James Tissot, Bowling Green, Ohio, 1982, p. 110, no. IV-25, illustrated (as Portrait of an unidentified lady, possibly a niece of the artist)Select Artist's Museum Collections:
Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham, England
Williamson Art Gallery and Museum, Birkenhead, United Kingdom
Musee des Beaux-Arts, Dole, France
Musee des Beaux-Arts, Nantes, France
1836-1902· French
Portrait of Clotilde Briatte, Comtesse Pillet-Will
Pastel on paper laid down on canvas
World-renowned for his fascination with femininity and all its accoutrements, 19th -century French painter James Tissot offers us an intriguing mix of sensuality and mystery with his outstanding portrait of Clotilde Briatte. Tissot's portrait of the comtesse is a study of an innovative and compelling personality. Rendered with exquisite detail and draftsmanship, Tissot's use of pastel allows the artist to reproduce in great detail the billowy hydrangeas framing the comtesse's luxurious fur cloak, her shift-like translucent white wrap dress and her expression of composed tranquility.
For over a century the present work was known only by an image in Tissot's photo album and was misidentified as a "portrait of an unidentified lady, possibly the niece of the artist." The subject was only recently revealed to be Clotilde Briatte, the wife of Count Alexis Frederick Lois Pillet-Will, the director and regent of the Bank of France. The Pillet-Will's also owned the famous Chateau Margaux Vineyard. Their daughter Helen Marie became the Duchess of Thouars and the Princess of Taranto when she married the Duke of Thouars, Louis Charles Marie de La Tremoille. The comtesse was not just an interesting subject for Tissot because she represented prestige, nobility and beauty but also because she was a Spiritualist who had written many books under the pseudonym Charles d'Orino. In these books she recorded her communications with spirits and expounded on her occult interests.
Tissot was born in 1836 to a family of Italian descent in the port town of Nantes, France. His father was drapery merchant and his mother designed hats. His parent's involvement with textiles and fashion ultimately had a profound impact on Tissot's work. In 1856 he travelled to Paris and enrolled to study at the studios of Hippolyte Flandrin and Louis Lamothe. Tissot also became close with Whistler, Degas and Manet. His portraits of modern life became incredibly popular and were held in high critical acclaim.
Having enjoyed considerable success in Paris during the 1860s, Tissot fought in the Siege of Paris, and after the fall of the Commune in 1871, he went to London, where he stayed for the next ten years. He was incredibly successful as a painter there and also met the love of his life, Kathleen Newton, a divorcée, with whom he lived from about 1876 until her death in 1882. Following her death Tissot returned to Paris, where he had kept the home and studio he had built on the Avenue du Bois de Bologne.
Shortly after his return to Paris in 1882 Tissot joined the Société de Pastellistes Français as well as the Société d'Aquarellistes Français and his work was included in both societies' many exhibitions at the Galerie Georges Petit in Paris. He was so distraught over Kathleen's death that he turned to spiritualism, particularly séances, in order to communicate with her. It was through these occult circles that Tissot made the acquaintance of the comtesse. The "otherworldly" association of model and artist is subtly suggested in the comtesse's portrait, where she is both a spectral and highly fashionable vision in her shimmering white dress with gold bracelets gleaming against a fur-lined wrap with a celestial blue outer lining.
Monumental in size and context, Tissot's portrait of the comtesse is an absolute marvel in execution. Done around the same time as his La Femme a Paris series, this stunning work represents a shift in Tissot's subject matter and artistic technique. Riding on the artistic wave of the late 19th century's renewed interest in pastels, Tissot and his contemporaries, Degas and Manet, were inspired to create works in this medium.
Best-known for his famous works documenting the ostentatious outfits, lascivious exoticism and subtle social gestures of the rising bourgeoisie in late 19th-century France, Tissot imbues the minute details of his portraits with an extravagant energy, lending a monumental quality to his images of fashion and flirtation in both London and Paris. Portrait of Clotilde Briatte, Comtesse Pillet-Willis is an exceptional example of Tissot's skill at using pastel, and his ability to capture subtle qualities of light and shade.
Today Tissot is renowned as a master of Belle Epoque painting, and important collections of 19th Century art are not complete without his inclusion. His work is highly coveted by collectors, and demands high prices at auction. This particular portrait, unique in both size and medium, would make a rare and enchanting acquisition.
Circa 1883-1885
Canvas: 35 3/4" high x 63 1/8" wide
Frame: 49" high x 76" wide
PROVENANCE: Clotilde Briatte, Comtesse Pillet-Will Then by descent through the Pillet-Will family, Saumur LITERATURE: Willard E. Misfeldt, The Albums of James Tissot, Bowling Green, Ohio, 1982, p. 110, no. IV-25, illustrated (as Portrait of an unidentified lady, possibly a niece of the artist)Select Artist's Museum Collections:
Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham, England
Williamson Art Gallery and Museum, Birkenhead, United Kingdom
Musee des Beaux-Arts, Dole, France
Musee des Beaux-Arts, Nantes, France
