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| Alexis Joseph Perignon (Paris 1806 - Paris 1882)
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| Portrait of Mademoiselle Mathilde de Nédonchel
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Signed and dated lower right: Pérignon 1869
Oil on canvas
39 3/8 x 31 ½ in. (100 x 80 cm.)
With an inscription ‘Perignon’ on the reverse of the original canvas.
Provenance: By descent in the family of the sitter; Private collection, Mayenne, France.
Alexis-Joseph Pérignon was trained first by his father, Alexis Nicolas Pérignon, before entering in the studio of the well-known French neo-classical Romantic painter, Antoine-Jean Gros. Leaving the studio of his master, Pérignon spent several years working as a restorer of Old Master paintings. From 1834 until 1881, he exhibited regularly at the Salon, where he won a gold medal in 1844 and received high praise for his portraiture. He was awarded the Légion d’honneur in 1856. A celebrated portrait painter, Pérignon achieved success through his ability to capture with sensitivity and accuracy not only the character of the sitter, but also the styles and fashions of his time, very much working in the tradition of Ingres. As a result he received numerous commissions from the fashionable circles of Europe, notable examples being the Portrait of Princess Bariatinskaïa and the Portrait of Marquise de Feydeau de Brou (both in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris).
In this Portrait of Mademoiselle Mathilde de Nédonchel Perignon displays all his mastery in the painting of the costume, combined with an ability to capture the character of the sitter. Mlle de Nédonchel is shown standing against a background of foliage, which is rendered with an impressionistic freedom of brushwork which highlights the much more meticulous rendering of the sitter’s features and dress. Pérignon’s ability to add a sparkle to eyes and his mastery of the complexities of female fashion are employed here to great affect. The white taffeta and lace dress are painted with a delicate attention to detail, which is highlighted by the contrast between the lustrous blue of the satin ribbon and belt and the transparency and richness of the white lace, while her face and hands are rendered with a smooth porcelain finish. The portrait, which remained until recently in a private collection, was purchased by its last owner from the family of the sitter. With its three-quarter-length turned pose, the painting is a model of classicism. Its elegance and refinement hark back to Ingres, in particular his Portrait of Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière (1806; Musée du Louvre, Paris). Like Ingres, Pérignon evokes with great delicacy the refined nature of the young woman, especially the expression of her face. Although her almond-shaped eyes are tinged with reverie, the suggestion of a smile plays around her mouth and her steady glance holds that of the viewer with solemn attention.
The granddaughter of the duc de Choiseul, Mathilde de Nédonchel was born into one of the oldest families of the Ancien Régime. Her life, recorded in a poshumous biography , was devoted to God and conspicuous for its piety, and this sense of purity is captured beautifully in this intimate and sensitive portrait.
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P. and D. Colnaghi and Co., Ltd - 15 Old Bond Street London W1S 4AX, United Kingdom Tel: +44-20-7491 7408 Fax: +44-20-7491 8851 contact@colnaghi.co.uk
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