207 - Léon François COMERRE (Trélon, 1850–Paris, 1916)

Léon François COMERRE (Trélon, 1850–Paris, 1916) Woman in a Veil, an allegory of The Republic in Mourning or of Alsace or Lorraine in Mourning Oil on canvas, signed upper left. 45 x 37 cm This beautiful female figure is a previously unpublished work by Léon-François Comerre and characteristic of his style. This painting is also a rare testament to the artist’s patriotism. A student of Alphonse Colas (1818–1887) in Lille and later of Alexandre Cabanel (1823–1889) at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Comerre won the Grand Prix de Rome in 1875 and quickly achieved great success, which brought him prestigious public commissions, such as the Salle des Fêtes at City Hall in Paris’s 4th arrondissement, the Rhône Prefecture in Lyon, the lobby of the Théâtre de l’Odéon, and the archaeology amphitheater at the Sorbonne. His works are highly sought after, particularly for his talent as a portraitist and his mastery in rendering textures, as evidenced by the subtle treatment of this figure’s veil. This gold background with a mosaic effect also appears in several of his compositions. Allegorical figures, such as the one in this painting—representing France, Alsace, or Lorraine in mourning—played a significant role in French patriotic painting following the defeat of 1870 and the signing of the Treaty of Frankfurt in 1871. To embody the sorrow of the “lost provinces” and the hope of a return to the homeland, painting and sculpture gradually replaced republican allegories with human and regional representations. Examples include *L’Alsacienne*, painted by Jean-Jacques Henner (1829–1905) in 1871 (held at the Jean-Jacques Henner Museum); *L’Alsace au drapeau*, painted by Gustave Doré (1832–1883) in 1872 (held at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Strasbourg), or the painting *À la France toujours*, painted in 1883 by Jean Benner (1836–1906) (held at the Museum of Fine Arts in Mulhouse), which, like our painting, depicts a young woman against a gold background. These depictions played a major role in shaping the collective memory and patriotism of the Third Republic. Léon Comerre, who interrupted his art studies to fulfill his civic duties during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, was mobilized and enlisted in the 75th Line Regiment (Georges Comerre, Léon Comerre 1850–1916, Paris, 1980, p. 11). There is no doubt that this conflict left a deep impression on him and that this work bears witness to it. Like his contemporaries, with this figure in mourning, he surely intended to embody dignity in the face of German annexation and perhaps the promise of future revenge. Expert: Cabinet Martenet Rombout contact@martenetrombout.com