Hermann Winterhalter (1801-1891) - Portrait of Mathilde Leclerc de Juigné

Hermann WINTERHALTER
(1801 - 1891)
Portrait of Mathilde Leclerc de Juigné, viscountess of Damas (1828-1897)
Oil on oval canvas
H. 73 cm; L. 59 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Fontainebleau; Private collection, Paris.

Hermann Winterhalter is the younger brother of the famous Baden court portrait painter Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Encouraged by his father to follow in the footsteps of his elder, he first studied engraving with his uncle then worked at the Karl Von Piloty lithographic institute in Munich in 1833. At the same time as his job as a lithographer, he began apprenticeship paint. In order to improve in this discipline, the young artist undertakes a few trips. In Rome, he discovered the great Italian masters and enjoyed studying the Italian portrait of the 18th century. In 1837, he joined his older brother in Paris where he settled for several years. Very close to his brother, he took charge of Franz Xaver's Parisian studio during his travels abroad, which provided him with enormous support in his international career. The two brothers are so close in their work, their artistic perception and their personality, that it is difficult to separate some of their works. Hermann Winterhalter draws his inspiration from his brother who is the portrait painter of crowned heads all over Europe. There is no professional or personal rivalry between the two artist brothers who worked together for many years and even exhibited together at the Salon des Artistes Français between 1838 and 1869. In the 1850s, Hermann became more independent of the themes addressed by his brother and painted his own portraits. Among his most emblematic works, we find "Jeune Fille de Ariccia" and the portrait of his Parisian master Nicolas-Louis Planat de la Faye, now in the Louvre Museum. After the fall of the Second Empire in 1870, the two brothers left France and retired to Baden. Franz Xaver died three years later and Hermann continued his career as a painter. He still receives many orders but will no longer participate in any exhibition. In the 1850s, Hermann became more independent of the themes tackled by his brother and painted his own portraits. Among his most emblematic works, we find "Jeune Fille de Ariccia" and the portrait of his Parisian master Nicolas-Louis Planat de la Faye which is in the Louvre Museum. After the fall of the Second Empire in 1870, the two brothers left France and retired to Baden. Franz Xaver died three years later and Hermann continued his career as a painter. He still receives many orders but will no longer participate in any exhibition.

Mathilde Victoire Marie Leclerc de Juigné is the only daughter of the Vicomte de Juigné, himself from the younger branch of this illustrious family whose family strongholds were in Anjou. In 1850 she married Paul-Marie de Damas, from the Cormaillon branch, and son of a Minister of War and then of Foreign Affairs. Mathilde de Juigné, like many of her contemporaries, devotes herself to drawing and watercolor. We know of her floral prints executed around 1850/60.
At 69 years old, the Viscountess of Damascus died in the infamous fire of the Bazar de la Charité on May 4, 1897. This event left 132 dead, the vast majority of women, from the great families of France or European courts. The Duchess of Alençon, sister of Empress Sisi is one of the victims.