Edouard Vienot
Encyclopedia
Édouard Viénot was a successful society portrait painter with a studio at 92 rue de la Victoire
, Paris
.
He was born in Fontainebleau
on 13 September 1804. He entered the École des Beaux Arts in Paris on 4 October 1822.
Viénot is probably to be identified with "Le chevalier Viennot" who was active as a portrait painter in London
in 1826 and 1827, when he had an address at 20 York Street, Portman Square. From this address he exhibited two paintings at the Royal Academy
in 1826 (Miss Paton of Covent Garden Theatre and Sir Robert Shaw, Bart., of Dublin) and three paintings at the Society of British Artists (now the Royal Society of British Artists) in 1827 (Portrait of Miss Paton, presumably the same as the Royal Academy picture, Portrait of Madame Viennot, presumably the artist's wife or mother, and Portrait of the Marchioness of Downshire). All three of these paintings are catalogued in the "watercolour, miniature or print" category.
In France, Viénot's paintings were regularly selected by the jury of the Paris Salon
between 1831 and 1870, and included Portrait du lieutenant-colonele baron S... and Portrait de Mademoiselle Delille, artiste de l'Opéra Comique, dans le 2me acte des Diamants de la Couronne (both at the Paris Salon 1846); Étude de Femme; Portrait de Monsieur S... and Portrait de Madame S... (all at the Paris Salon 1857); Miss [sic] P. N. J...; étude (Paris Salon 1859); Portrait de Mademoiselle Jeanne Tordeus, du théâtre impérial de l'Odéon (Paris Salon 1861); Portrait de Madame A. Musard (Paris Salon 1863); Portrait de Madame ... (Paris Salon 1864); Portrait de Mademoiselle Guerra du Théâtre-Italien and Portrait de Monsieur Saint-Germain du théâtre du Vaudeville (both at the Paris Salon 1865); Portrait de Mademoiselle B. de C... (Paris Salon 1866); Portrait de Madame L. D. R... and Portrait de Monsieur A. L... (both at the Paris Salon 1870).
Viénot also painted Marie Duplessis
(reproduced in the Royal Opera's programme for Verdi's La Traviata at the Royal Albert Hall in May 1998). Marie Duplessis was the real-life actress and courtesane on whom Dumas
modelled the heroine in La Dame aux Camélias
, on which La Traviata
is based.
Viénot's portrait of the Emperor Pedro II of Brazil
is in the Imperial Museum in Brazil (housed in what was formerly his summer palace). Also in Brazil is his Retrato de Menina [a portrait of a young girl in a blue dress] which hangs in the Museu Regional de São João del-Rei.
Viénot identified himself in the Salon catalogues as a pupil of Guérin and Hersent. Paulin Guérin (1783-1855), official painter to the royal family and aristocracy in the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, was "one of the most prominent portrait painters of the Restoration" (Dictionary of Art (1996) vol 13 pp 790–791). Louis Hersent
(1777-1860) was a gold medallist at the Salon of 1806, elected a member of the Institut 1822, and appointed professor at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts 1825.
Viénot did some portraits for different spanish families established in South America during that period. A sample of them are the portraits he did for the family González del Collado.
Rue de la Victoire
The rue de la Victoire is a street in the IXe arrondissement of Paris.The former name of the street was "rue Chantereine" . The street took the name "rue de la Victoire" from 1797 to 1816 after the victorious campaign of Napoleon in Italy...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
He was born in Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
on 13 September 1804. He entered the École des Beaux Arts in Paris on 4 October 1822.
Viénot is probably to be identified with "Le chevalier Viennot" who was active as a portrait painter in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1826 and 1827, when he had an address at 20 York Street, Portman Square. From this address he exhibited two paintings at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
in 1826 (Miss Paton of Covent Garden Theatre and Sir Robert Shaw, Bart., of Dublin) and three paintings at the Society of British Artists (now the Royal Society of British Artists) in 1827 (Portrait of Miss Paton, presumably the same as the Royal Academy picture, Portrait of Madame Viennot, presumably the artist's wife or mother, and Portrait of the Marchioness of Downshire). All three of these paintings are catalogued in the "watercolour, miniature or print" category.
In France, Viénot's paintings were regularly selected by the jury of the Paris Salon
Paris Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
between 1831 and 1870, and included Portrait du lieutenant-colonele baron S... and Portrait de Mademoiselle Delille, artiste de l'Opéra Comique, dans le 2me acte des Diamants de la Couronne (both at the Paris Salon 1846); Étude de Femme; Portrait de Monsieur S... and Portrait de Madame S... (all at the Paris Salon 1857); Miss [sic] P. N. J...; étude (Paris Salon 1859); Portrait de Mademoiselle Jeanne Tordeus, du théâtre impérial de l'Odéon (Paris Salon 1861); Portrait de Madame A. Musard (Paris Salon 1863); Portrait de Madame ... (Paris Salon 1864); Portrait de Mademoiselle Guerra du Théâtre-Italien and Portrait de Monsieur Saint-Germain du théâtre du Vaudeville (both at the Paris Salon 1865); Portrait de Mademoiselle B. de C... (Paris Salon 1866); Portrait de Madame L. D. R... and Portrait de Monsieur A. L... (both at the Paris Salon 1870).
Viénot also painted Marie Duplessis
Marie Duplessis
Marie Duplessis was a French courtesan and mistress to a number of prominent and wealthy men. She was the inspiration for Marguerite Gautier, the main character of La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas the younger, one of Duplessis' lovers...
(reproduced in the Royal Opera's programme for Verdi's La Traviata at the Royal Albert Hall in May 1998). Marie Duplessis was the real-life actress and courtesane on whom Dumas
Alexandre Dumas, fils
Alexandre Dumas, fils was a French author and dramatist. He was the son of Alexandre Dumas, père, also a writer and playwright.-Biography:...
modelled the heroine in La Dame aux Camélias
The Lady of the Camellias
The Lady of the Camellias is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils, first published in 1848, and subsequently adapted for the stage. The Lady of the Camellias premiered at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in Paris, France on February 2, 1852. The play was an instant success, and Giuseppe Verdi immediately set...
, on which La Traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
is based.
Viénot's portrait of the Emperor Pedro II of Brazil
Pedro II of Brazil
Dom Pedro II , nicknamed "the Magnanimous", was the second and last ruler of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the seventh child of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of...
is in the Imperial Museum in Brazil (housed in what was formerly his summer palace). Also in Brazil is his Retrato de Menina [a portrait of a young girl in a blue dress] which hangs in the Museu Regional de São João del-Rei.
Viénot identified himself in the Salon catalogues as a pupil of Guérin and Hersent. Paulin Guérin (1783-1855), official painter to the royal family and aristocracy in the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, was "one of the most prominent portrait painters of the Restoration" (Dictionary of Art (1996) vol 13 pp 790–791). Louis Hersent
Louis Hersent
Louis Hersent was a French painter.]Born in Paris, he became a pupil of David, and obtained the Prix de Rome in 1797. In the Salon of 1802 appeared his "Metamorphosis of Narcissus", and he continued to exhibit with rare interruptions up to 1831...
(1777-1860) was a gold medallist at the Salon of 1806, elected a member of the Institut 1822, and appointed professor at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts 1825.
Viénot did some portraits for different spanish families established in South America during that period. A sample of them are the portraits he did for the family González del Collado.