38 - Eugène Quesnet (1815–1897)

Eugène Quesnet (1815–1897) Portrait of an elegant bourgeois depicted from the waist up, wearing a black frock coat and waistcoat, holding his hat and a glove, set against a wooded landscape Oil on canvas (re-stretched) Slight wear and restoration Signed lower left: Eug. Quesnet 130 x 98 cm In the tradition of mid-19th-century bourgeois portraiture, this elegant half-length portrait by Eugène Quesnet (1815–1897) is fully representative of the artist’s oeuvre; a renowned portraitist who specialized in depicting the bourgeoisie and the affluent circles of his time. It reflects the social assertiveness of a class whose success is evident in the care taken with their attire and in a portrayal that is both dignified and natural. Dressed in a black frock coat, our subject strikes a confident pose, one hand slipped into his pants pocket, the other holding his hat and one of his gloves. In the background, a wooded landscape opening onto the distant countryside sets the figure against an outdoor backdrop that contrasts with the usual solemnity of formal bourgeois portraits. The model’s features—characterized by his wavy brown hair, mustache, and oval face—resemble those of Edouard Caillard (1803–1868), administrator of Messageries Laffitte et Caillard, a major passenger transport company in the mid-19th century. Certain similarities can be noted with the portrait of Caillard painted in 1847 by Victor-Louis Mottez (1809–1897), now in the collection of the Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris (inv. PPP578). Expert: Mégane OLLIVIER