Clotilde Chrétien Colombe

Petite fille au manchon

This early 20th-century oil painting by French artist Honoré Louis Umbricht (1860-1943) depicts Marguerite Grosjean (b. 1895), the daughter of law of Alexandre Grosjean, the mayor of Besançon. Umbricht was a distinguished painter of genre scenes, landscapes, stills and portraits. Born in the attractive city of Obernai, in the Alsace region of North-East France, he had inspiration at his fingertips. Distant mountains, picturesque valleys, the sparkling Ehn River, and sprawling rural plains - a veritable smorgasbord of views. He honed his draughtsmanship under the tuition of his uncle, ‘Hess’, and was soon offered a scholarship by the German government to study in Munich. He refused, however, and headed for Paris to train under the highly-regarded Léon Bonnat (1833-1922). Bonnat’s studio was synonymous with success and he encouraged his students to paint freely and with expression. His own portraits were influenced by the Spanish masters, such as Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), and he extolled the virtues of this style. Umbricht was in fine company as Bonnat also trained John Singer Sargent, P. S. Krøyer, Erik Werenskiold, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Gustave Caillebotte among others. Following his training, the Paris Salon beckoned and the young Umbricht’s debut came in 1880. By 1884, he’d been awarded his first medal and several more would follow including at the Chicago and London Exhibition and the prestigious Exposition Universelle (1900). He was subsequently knighted with the Cross of the Order of Leopold. Midway through his career, the critics were alive with praise describing his portraits as “full of mastery” and with “very true and harmonious” colouring. In 1911, the newspaper ‘Le Rappel...

Lady's portrait - Nicola del Basso Italia 2011 - Oil on canvas cm. 100x80 In this painting we admire a noblewoman sitting at her writing desk, looking for inspiration to compose a lo...