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Portrait of the Artist's Wife, Laura Lebreton
Eugène Isabeyca. 1845
Dixon Gallery and Gardens
Memphis, United States
Details
- Title: Portrait of the Artist's Wife, Laura Lebreton
- Creator: Louis-Gabriel-Eugène Isabey
- Creator Lifespan: 1803 - 1883
- Creator Nationality: French
- Creator Gender: Male
- Creator Death Place: Montévrain, France
- Creator Birth Place: Paris, France
- Date: ca. 1845
- Physical Dimensions: 21 3/4 x 18 1/4 inches
- Description: A well-studied artist, Eugène Isabey was the son of Jean-Baptiste Isabey, a highly regarded painter of miniatures. Equally adept in oil, watercolor, and lithography, the younger Isabey further displayed his versatility by producing landscapes, seascapes, portraits, illustrations, and historical scenes. Working in a broad Romantic style, Isabey was admired for his attention to tonal effects and the luminosity of his color. When Isabey painted this portrait of his wife, Laura Lebreton, in the mid 1840s, he was at the height of his abilities and stature. Although a rapidly executed oil sketch, the portrait beautifully describes Laura’s likeness, while also communicating a great deal more. The painting betrays Isabey’s intimate knowledge and indeed his love for his subject. Although she is nearing forty, Laura is painted with porcelain skin, deep red lips, and a slender neck, emphasized by her long, dangling earring. She yet possesses the capacity to charm with her enigmatic gaze, which is at once knowing, but also almost coquettish.
- Provenance: Museum purchase through the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation which was facilitated by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Cauley Clark
- Type: Oil paintings
- Rights: Dixon Gallery and Gardens. For Terms and Conditions for use of this image please contact the Registrar at 901-761-5250.
- Medium: Oil on canvas
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