Galerie Dreyfus
69
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LÉONCE PETIT TADEN, 1839 – PARIS, 1884
The Prefect’s Visit
1…
See original version (French)
69
-
LÉONCE PETIT TADEN, 1839 – PARIS, 1884
The Prefect’s Visit
1…
See original version (French)
Estimate €28,000 - €35,000
Voluntary lot
Description
LÉONCE PETIT
TADEN, 1839 – PARIS, 1884
The Prefect’s Visit
1874
Oil on canvas
70 x 100 cm.
Signed and dated at the bottom centre
What a crowd on this market day! People are going about their business, greeting one another, but also gathering
round a figure whose visit seems unexpected, without fanfare, not even
that of the rural constable… For this prefect’s walkabout in a small village
is anything but a formal affair. Accompanied only by his coachman, standing quietly a few paces
behind, this great servant of the state would almost pass incognito were it not for the greetings
he receives as he passes from the villagers who form a circle around him. Calves, cows, pigs, broods…
all the picturesque charm of a provincial market unfolds before our eyes. Anecdotal in nature, the scene
is intended to be descriptive and good-natured, extolling the virtues of a prosperous and well-
administered rural world. Far removed from the realistic depictions of Courbet or the elegiac works of Millet, his predecessors,
Léonce Petit’s portrayal of provincial life is intended to be descriptive and narrative, akin to the illustration work he
was producing at the same time for newspapers. His academic style is more in the
tradition of Horace Vernet or Léopold Boilly, whose genre scenes describe with
skilful precision the daily life of their contemporaries. This panorama of a society
deeply rooted in its agricultural values, whose figures display their traditional headdresses and
costumes, depicts a folkloric and serene France in keeping with the political aims
of the fledgling Third Republic.
Léonce Justin Alexandre Petit (1839–1884) was a French painter, engraver, illustrator and
caricaturist. Originally from Normandy, he trained under the landscape painter
Henri Harpignies (1819–1916), and later under François Augustin Feyen-Perrin (1826–1888). From 1863 onwards, Léonce Petit began publishing in the *Journal amusant*, to which he remained loyal until his death. Then, in 1867, he began collaborating with various satirical newspapers, including *Le Hanneton*,
*L’Éclipse* and *Le Bouffon*, whose front-page caricatures proved highly
successful, notably that of Gustave Courbet in *Le Hanneton*. It was during this period that he also
made a name for himself as a painter and engraver. He then became the champion of provincial and rural
life. In 1869, he produced a series of lithographs, *Les Mésaventures de M. Bêton*,
and began exhibiting oil paintings on canvas at the Salon, such as *Visite du préfet*. Although
a contemporary of Gustave Courbet, he did not adopt the latter’s realist approach. His style,
akin to illustration, was narrative in nature, favouring a picturesque approach over a social critique. His
encounter with Jules Champfleury (1821–1889) led to his illustrating *Les Aventures de M. Tringle*,
which had previously appeared in *L’Illustration*. In the same year as our painting, in a similar
vein, Léonce Petit published *Les Bonnes gens de Province* in the *Journal amusant*. At the height
of his success, he died prematurely at the age of 45.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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