• Period:
  19th Century
• Origin:
  France
• Subject:
  Figurative
• Artist:
  Bouguereau, William Adolphe

William Adolph Bouguereau
1825-1905 · French

Tete d'enfant, etude

Signed "W. Bouguereau" (lower left)
Oil on canvas

Frame: 24" high x 20 3/4" wide
Canvas: 15 1/2" high x 12 1/4" wide

This painting will be included in the forthcoming Bouguereau catalogue raisonné being prepared by Damien Bartoli with the assistance of Fred Ross of the Bouguereau Committee and the Art Renewal Center.

Provenance:
Goup il et Cie, received directly from the artist, and entered into their inventory as no. 4162, titled Tete d'enfant, etude
Knoedler, New York, acquired from the above by late 1870
Hy Hartlay, 568 Fifth Avenue, New York, acquired from the above
Private Collection, Southern United States, since circa 1900
Thence by descent

Deeply influenced by the classical tradition, William Adolphe Bouguereau is immediately recognized for his amazing portraits idealizing the human figure. A student of the great neo-classical artist, Ingres, his painting technique boasts an unsurpassed degree of finish and luminous coloration, distinctive hallmarks of the French Academy. Bouguereau's paintings of tender mothers, children and young girls are among his finest creations. His handling of the subject displays a unique sensitivity. This portrait is of a beautiful young girl, Emilienne Cesil-Biegler, born in 1859 to an unwed mother who served in the Bouguereau household. Emilienne remained one of Bouguereau's favorite models, appearing frequently in works from 1865 to 1867.

Unpretentious and modest, Bouguereau became one of the most decorated artists of the 19th century. He received medals from the Salons and Universal Expositions, successive ranks in the prestigious Legion of Honor, and was the leading member of the Institute of France and president of the Society of Painters, Sculptors and Engravers. His art never deviated from the basic principles of Academic training and he so dominated the Salons of the Third Republic that the official Salon became known as Le Salon Bouguereau.

In addition to the accolades of the art world, Bouguereau received many prestigious commissions to decorate public buildings including the Grand Thétre, Bordeaux and the chapels of Sainte Clothilde, Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Augustin, Paris. He also painted decorations for private mansions of the property entrepreneurs in Paris and La Rochelle. Bouguereau is considered the leading Academic painter of all time and his works are immensely popular throughout the world.

Artist's Exhibitions:
Salon, Paris (Jury Member)
Exhibition Universelle, Paris
Société des Artistes Français (President)

Artist's Museums:
Louvre, Paris
Musée d'Orsay
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
National Gallery, London
Boston Museum of Fine Art
Palace of the Legion of Honour, San Francisco
New Orleans Museum of Art

References:
Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs, 1976, E. Bénézit The Random House Dictionary of Art and Artists, 1988, Random House
19th-Century Art, 1984, Robert Rosenblum & H.W. Janson