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A Painter
Ernest Meissonier1855
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Meissonier often depicted artists and musicians of the 1600s and 1700s engaged in their work. This artist is busy painting a small canvas depicting a nymph and satyr. The artist’s 18th-century costume—nearly 100 years out of date at the time of the painting’s creation—transforms the scene into a charming historical fiction. Meissonier exhibited the painting at the Paris Salon of 1857.
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Details
- Title: A Painter
- Creator: Ernest Meissonier (French, 1815–1891)
- Date Created: 1855
- Physical Dimensions: Framed: 39 x 33.5 x 6.5 cm (15 3/8 x 13 3/16 x 2 9/16 in.); Unframed: 27 x 21.1 cm (10 5/8 x 8 5/16 in.)
- Provenance: Countess Lehon [1808-1880], Paris, France, her sale, April 2-3,1861, lot 10, sold to Vente X . . . de Vienne, Vente X . . . de Vienne, 1861, (possibly Georg Plach [1818-1885], Vienna, Austria, G. Simpson, by 1871, John Grant Morris [1811-1897], Allerton Priory, Liverpool, United Kingdom,1883, sold to Samuel P. Avery, (Samuel P. Avery, New York, NY, by 1884, sold to William H. Vanderbilt), William H. Vanderbuilt [1821-1885], New York, NY, by descent to his son, George W. Vanderbuilt, George W. Vanderbilt [1862-1914], New York, NY, by descent to Cornelius Vanderbilt III, Cornelius Vanderbilt III [1983-1942], New York, NY by descent to his widow, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt III, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt III, his widow', [1870-1953], New York, NY, consigned to Parke-Bernet for sale, (Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, NY, April 18-19, 1945, sold to Mrs. Derek Spence), Mrs. Derek Spence [1905-1984], New York, NY, February 1976, consigned to Hammer Gallery, (Hammer Gallery, New York, NY, July 1976, sold to Shepherd Gallery), (Shephard Gallery, New York, NY, July 1976, sold to Mr. and Mrs. Noah L. Butkin), Mrs. Noah L. Butkin [1915-2008], Shaker Heights, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Painting
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1982.247
- Medium: oil on mahogany
- Inscriptions: Signed lower right: EMeissonier. 1855 [EM in monogram]
- Fun Fact: The fashionable attire worn by the subject of this painting is from the previous century. In order to ensure authenticity in his paintings, Meissionier collected accessories from local costume markets to assemble a “work library.”
- Department: Modern European Painting and Sculpture
- Culture: France, 19th century
- Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Noah L. Butkin
- Collection: Mod Euro - Painting 1800-1960
- Accession Number: 1982.247
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