Galerie Dreyfus
42
-
EUGÈNE-ERNEST HILLEMACHER (PARIS, 1818 – PARIS, 1887)
Aftern…
See original version (French)
42
-
EUGÈNE-ERNEST HILLEMACHER (PARIS, 1818 – PARIS, 1887)
Aftern…
See original version (French)
Estimate €24,000 - €30,000
Voluntary lot
Description
EUGÈNE-ERNEST HILLEMACHER
(PARIS, 1818 – PARIS, 1887)
Afternoon Stroll
1859
Oil on canvas
52 x 64.8 cm.
Signed and dated lower left ‘Ernest Hillemacher’
Provenance
Katherine Rudloff, St Louis, Missouri; J.S. Earle & Son, Philadelphia.
On a beautiful summer’s afternoon, in a sun-drenched park, a merry group is enjoying themselves.
At the front, two young boys run, pulling a small cart in which sits a
cheerful baby. One blows a horn, whilst the other waves a makeshift whip. To the
side, another little boy stands by the cart, waving a wooden spatula of his own. Finally,
at the rear, a young woman, probably their mother, holds the hood of the little
cart down to provide shade for the baby. In the background, still in the dappled shade of the
woodland undergrowth, an older couple follow at a distance, presumably the grandparents. Rounding off
the composition, in the foreground, a dog barks and turns round at the head of the procession. This
idyllic scene, reflecting the joys of childhood in an elegantly attired bourgeois family,
is set against an enchanting and well-tended natural backdrop where swans frolic on the
park’s pond. The delicacy of the brushwork, combined with the light, vivid colours, serves to evoke
a joyful atmosphere within a refined world, catering to the tastes of the bourgeoisie of the
Second Empire, which Hillemacher excelled at satisfying. More than just a family portrait, this is
a genre scene, highlighting the family values of an elite society.
Eugène-Ernest Hillemacher (1818–1887) was a French painter specialising in portraits and
historical painting. A pupil of Léon Coignet at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he began
exhibiting at the Salon as early as 1840, thus launching a prolific career with works that
met with great public acclaim. His success led to his paintings being reproduced using the
new technique of heliogravure. His style, with its porcelain-like finish, links him to the
academic movement, in which his colleagues Bouguereau and Cabanel also distinguished themselves. The historical subjects he
depicted in the manner of genre scenes were characteristic of the nineteenth century, which sought to renew
subject matter whilst remaining rooted in tradition. His paintings thus found an audience amongst the
triumphant industrial bourgeoisie, eager for historicist art, in which anecdotes
concerning famous figures from French history or literature fuelled
the collective imagination. He thus depicted numerous events on the fringes of official history, imagining
encounters between Louis XIV and Mignard, Philip IV and Velázquez, Molière and his maid, or even Boileau and his gardener … Acclaimed by critics, he was also honoured by the French state, which awarded him the Legion of Honour in 1865, thereby recognising his distinguished career.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like