Louis-Henri de FONTENAY. 1800-1858 ? Portrait of Empress Eugénie after Winterhalter. 1855. Miniature on ivory, oval form, signed lower right "LH Fontenay 1855"; under glass, Louis XVI style chased gilt bronze frame with ribbon and rose decorations. Signed "Alph. Giroux / à Paris" on the easel bracket. 8.5 x 11 cm Three-quarter bust portrait of Empress Eugenie, based on the famous official portrait painted by Winterhalter. This large-scale miniature was produced by Louis-Henri de Fontenay, a pupil of Jocob Smies and Louis-Marie Autissier, the latter known for the great precision of his drawings and as a former painter to King Louis Bonaparte. Born in Amsterdam of French parents, Fontenay had taken part in Kruyf's 1825 illustration of views of the Dutch capital. He is reported to have worked in The Hague from 1824 to 1827, where he became a court miniature painter. He later settled in Paris, exhibiting at the Salons in 1847, 1850 and 1852. He was appreciated by a select aristocratic clientele, and was a member of the Comité Central des Artistes under the Second Empire. The House of the Emperor seems to have acquired at least one miniature portrait of the imperial family from the artist, still preserved today in the Louvre. The miniature's gilded bronze frame is signed by Alphonse Giroux, then known as "le marchand des princes", a major manufacturer of luxury furniture and accessories. Founded under the Consulate and specializing in toy sales, Giroux's success came at the end of the Empire, with the development of the kaleidoscope, and during the Restoration, when he supplied gifts for the children of France. Giroux continued to specialize in tabletterie and cabinetmaking under the July Monarchy, and remained interested in optics, being the exclusive depositary of the daguerreotype, granting its exploitation to Daguerre and Niépce in 1839. Alphonse Giroux remained in business until 1867, when Ferdinand Duvinage took over management. Related works - Portrait of the Empress in bust form. 1855. 7.2 cm, Christies London, May 25, 2004, no. 208, bronze frame in the same style. - Portrait of Madame, mother of S.M. n.d. Musée du Louvre, Dept des Arts graphiques, cabinet des dessins et miniatures, Inv 26548, inventory annotation "acquis depuis l'avènement de l'Empereur". Bibliography - Nathalie Lemoine-Bouchard, Les peintres en miniature actifs en France, 1650-1850, éd. de l'Amateur, 2008. Art. Le Guay, art. Louise-Henri de Fontenay, p.240-241.