HENRI JOSEPH FRADELLE (France, 1778-1865). "The poet Moliere". Oil on board. Presents label on the back. It has a frame of the eighteenth century with faults. Measurements: 65 x 55 cm; 88 x 77 cm (frame). This work represents Moliere reading a text next to a maiden that seems to rebuke him. It is probably the representation of the last play of Moliere, who is said to have died on stage acting, dressed in yellow as can be seen in this painting. The work stands out for the detail of the qualities and the care in the tactile quality of the objects that make up the scene, where the textures have been perfectly portrayed. The painting is part of a subgenre of portraiture based on illustrious men. Molière is considered one of the greatest playwrights in history and the father of French Comedy. His relationship with the theater began in 1643 when he signed, together with the Béjart family, comedians, the act of constitution of the Illustrious Theater, which he would go on to direct without much success a year later. For five years, Molière left the French capital to be an actor, returning in 1650 to take charge of the company. Soon his farces and comic plays became famous, being installed by the French king in the Petit-Bourbon theater. His plays began to gain popularity, following the maxim of "correcting manners by laughing", which, together with the royal protection, made Molière gain enemies among those who were ridiculed in his plays. In 1664 he was appointed in charge of the Court entertainments; that same year "Tartuffe" was premiered, a play critical of religious hypocrisy and which provoked angry reactions among the conservative classes, forcing the king to ban the play for five years. With royal support, however, the company became the Royal Company. Although his health began to fail, Molière continued to write immortal plays such as "The Misanthrope" and "The Stick Doctor". His last play, "The Imaginary Sick Man", sadly went down in history due to the attack that the actor and author himself had during one of its performances, from which he did not recover and died. Henri Jean-Baptiste Victoire Fradelle was a French-English Victorian painter and portraitist, specialized in literary, historical and religious subjects. For over a hundred years he was confused with his son, Henry Joseph Fradelle (1805-1872), who trained as an artist, but pursued several professions. It was not until the first decade of the 21st century that this error was detected and biographies, lists and auction houses gave Fradelle his correct name.