Louis René Vialy
Encyclopedia
Louis-René Vialy also spelled Vially, Viali or Viallis, was a French painter.
but who moved to Provence
, Louis-René Vialy was born at Aix-en-Provence
. He began his career decorating sedan chairs, as attested by Mariette, who wrote that "it was a very popular taste in Provence to have ornamented sedan chairs". His father was naturalised as a French subject by letters registered at the cour des comptes of Aix-en-Provence
in 1720 and died in Aix on 25 December 1745 aged 95. He was buried the following day in the old parish church of La Madeleine, beside Jean-Baptiste Van Loo
who had died on 29 September the same year.
Louis-René at first studied under his father and very often attended the Vernets' studio - Antoine Vernet, decorative painter, was a family friend of Louis's father. Louis-René is normally named as the tutor of the young marine painter Joseph Vernet but this was actually Jacques. Louis-René in 1752 painted a pastel portrait of Vernet and owned several paintings by him, such as the two exhibited at the 1757 Salon. Mariette also cites him as tutor to the engraver Jean-Joseph Balechou
.
Vialy seems to have set himself up in Paris around 1750,in rue d’Argenteuil, behind the église Saint Roch. His style as a portrait painter influenced and was influenced by the salons of the Académie Royale de Saint-Luc
, where he exhibited in 1752, 1753 and 1756 with the titles "peintre du Roi" and member of Académie de Saint-Luc
. At first, however, he worked for the famous portraitist Hyacinthe Rigaud
, in whose studio he was found in 1712 and in 1714 under the name "Vial". He was then only 32. This trip does not seem today to be apochryphal, for relationships are known between the Catalan painter and the Van Loo family, during his trip to Lyons then to Paris. On his death, Louis-René Vialy was still on rue des Aveugles, in the parish of Saint Sulpice, above a barber's shop.
, though some works by him in oil on canvas are known. In his Dictionnaire des Pastellistes, Neil Jeffarès describes the images created by Vialy as "easily recognizable : not very expressive like those by Allais
, they are distinguished by a certain sweetness. [...] The eyes are liquid with the light of oils in the white point quite high to the left. He had a distinctive treatment of fabrics with tight folds and reflections". Vialy's pastel technique corresponded to the taste of his time, inheriting his attitudes to 3/4 length portraits from his contemporaries and from Louis Vigée
. In contrast, his canvases adopt poses which owe a clear debt to Rigaud, such as his Portrait of a woman as Hebe (sold in 2007), and other artists. This is notably the case in his portrait of the regent
, after the 1717 painting of him by Jean-Baptiste Santerre
, of which one copy is now held at the Prado in Madrid.
Life
The son of Jacques Vialy, a Sicilian painter born at TrapaniTrapani
Trapani is a city and comune on the west coast of Sicily in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the main gateway to the nearby Egadi Islands.-History:...
but who moved to Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, Louis-René Vialy was born at Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
. He began his career decorating sedan chairs, as attested by Mariette, who wrote that "it was a very popular taste in Provence to have ornamented sedan chairs". His father was naturalised as a French subject by letters registered at the cour des comptes of Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
in 1720 and died in Aix on 25 December 1745 aged 95. He was buried the following day in the old parish church of La Madeleine, beside Jean-Baptiste Van Loo
Jean-Baptiste van Loo
Jean-Baptiste van Loo was a French subject and portrait painter.-Biography:He was born in Aix-en-Provence, and was instructed in art by his father Louis-Abraham van Loo, son of Jacob van Loo...
who had died on 29 September the same year.
Louis-René at first studied under his father and very often attended the Vernets' studio - Antoine Vernet, decorative painter, was a family friend of Louis's father. Louis-René is normally named as the tutor of the young marine painter Joseph Vernet but this was actually Jacques. Louis-René in 1752 painted a pastel portrait of Vernet and owned several paintings by him, such as the two exhibited at the 1757 Salon. Mariette also cites him as tutor to the engraver Jean-Joseph Balechou
Jean-Joseph Balechou
Jean-Joseph Balechou was a French engraver.- Works :* Portrait of Augustus, king of Poland after Hyacinthe Rigaud* Portrait of Dom Philippe, infant of Spain after Louis René Vialy...
.
Vialy seems to have set himself up in Paris around 1750,in rue d’Argenteuil, behind the église Saint Roch. His style as a portrait painter influenced and was influenced by the salons of the Académie Royale de Saint-Luc
Académie de Saint-Luc
The Académie de Saint-Luc was a painters' guild set up in Paris in 1391 by the Provost of Paris, along the lines of the Guilds of Saint Luke in the rest of Europe...
, where he exhibited in 1752, 1753 and 1756 with the titles "peintre du Roi" and member of Académie de Saint-Luc
Académie de Saint-Luc
The Académie de Saint-Luc was a painters' guild set up in Paris in 1391 by the Provost of Paris, along the lines of the Guilds of Saint Luke in the rest of Europe...
. At first, however, he worked for the famous portraitist Hyacinthe Rigaud
Hyacinthe Rigaud
Hyacinthe Rigaud was a French baroque painter of Catalan origin whose career was based in Paris.He is renowned for his portrait paintings of Louis XIV, the royalty and nobility of Europe, and members of their courts and considered one of the most notable French portraitists of the classical period...
, in whose studio he was found in 1712 and in 1714 under the name "Vial". He was then only 32. This trip does not seem today to be apochryphal, for relationships are known between the Catalan painter and the Van Loo family, during his trip to Lyons then to Paris. On his death, Louis-René Vialy was still on rue des Aveugles, in the parish of Saint Sulpice, above a barber's shop.
Style
Vialy seems to have mainly worked in pastelPastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
, though some works by him in oil on canvas are known. In his Dictionnaire des Pastellistes, Neil Jeffarès describes the images created by Vialy as "easily recognizable : not very expressive like those by Allais
Pierre Allais
Pierre Allais was a French painter and pastel artist.-External links:*...
, they are distinguished by a certain sweetness. [...] The eyes are liquid with the light of oils in the white point quite high to the left. He had a distinctive treatment of fabrics with tight folds and reflections". Vialy's pastel technique corresponded to the taste of his time, inheriting his attitudes to 3/4 length portraits from his contemporaries and from Louis Vigée
Louis Vigée
Louis Vigée was a French portraitist, fan painter, artist in pastels and a member of the Académie de Saint-Luc. He is also notable as the father of the writer Étienne Vigée and the painter Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun.-External links:...
. In contrast, his canvases adopt poses which owe a clear debt to Rigaud, such as his Portrait of a woman as Hebe (sold in 2007), and other artists. This is notably the case in his portrait of the regent
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
, after the 1717 painting of him by Jean-Baptiste Santerre
Jean-Baptiste Santerre
-Biography:Santerre was born at Magny-en-Vexin, near Pontoise. A pupil of Bon Boullogne, he began his painting career at a portraitist, with a notable work being a portrait of Marie Leszczyńska with the Maison de St Cyr in the background . He won a major reputation thanks to his academies...
, of which one copy is now held at the Prado in Madrid.
Works
Vialy mainly exhibited at the Salos of the Académie de Saint-LucAcadémie de Saint-Luc
The Académie de Saint-Luc was a painters' guild set up in Paris in 1391 by the Provost of Paris, along the lines of the Guilds of Saint Luke in the rest of Europe...
1752 Salon
-
- 230. Portrait of M. le Comte de Vance, Colonel of the Régiment Royal Corse, Maréchal de Camp of His Majesty's Armies.
- 231. Portrait of Angélique-Louise La Rochefoucauld (1733–1794), vicomtesse de Vence as a Vestal Virgin. Pastel, 49 x 59 cm. Signed "Vialj / pinxit 1751 - ". Sold in Paris, Pascal Blouet, 26 February 2006, lot 15.
- 232. Portrait of M. Duriny, His Holiness’ Nuncio to the Court of France.
- 233. Portrait of M. le Comte de BonnevalClaude Alexandre de BonnevalClaude Alexandre, Comte de Bonneval was a French army officer who later went into the service of the Ottoman Empire, eventually converting to Islam and becoming known as Humbaracı Ahmet Paşa....
, pasha (entitled to three tails)PashaPasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
, Governor of KaramanKaramanKaraman is a town in south central Turkey, located north of the Taurus Mountains, about south of Konya. It is the capital district of the Karaman Province. According to 2000 census, the population of the province is 231 872 of which 132,064 live in the town of Karaman. The district covers an area...
. - 234. Portrait of M.***
- 235. Portrait of M. de***
- 236. Portrait of Mademoiselle*** as a Muse, with all the attributes of MelpomeneMelpomeneMelpomene , initially the Muse of Singing, she then became the Muse of Tragedy, for which she is best known now. Her name was derived from the Greek verb melpô or melpomai meaning "to celebrate with dance and song." She is often represented with a tragic mask and wearing the cothurnus, boots...
and Thalia, sitting at the foot of Mount ParnassusMount ParnassusMount Parnassus, also Parnassos , is a mountain of limestone in central Greece that towers above Delphi, north of the Gulf of Corinth, and offers scenic views of the surrounding olive groves and countryside. According to Greek mythology, this mountain was sacred to Apollo and the Corycian nymphs,...
1753 Salon
-
- 133. Portrait of Dom Philippe, Infante of Spain, Duke of ParmaPhilip, Duke of ParmaPhilip of Spain was Duke of Parma from 1748 to 1765. He founded the House of Bourbon-Parma , a cadet line of the Spanish branch of the dynasty...
. - 134. Portrait of M. le Chevalier de Perrin.
- 135. Portrait of M. Danthoine, Treasurer & [premier] Écuyer to Madame the Infanta, Duchess of ParmaPrincess Louise Élisabeth of FranceLouise Élisabeth de France was the eldest daughter of King Louis XV of France and his Queen consort, Maria Leszczyńska, and the elder twin sister of Anne Henriette de France. As the daughter of the king, she was a Daughter of France...
. - 136. Portrait of M. Duchesneau, Knight of the Ordre Hospitalier de Saint-Lazare.
- 137. Portrait of M. Desilant.
- 138. Portrait of M. Destourettes, Agent of the Town of Avignon.
- 139. Portraits of M. Franque, Architect of the Hôtel Royal des InvalidesLes InvalidesLes Invalides , officially known as L'Hôtel national des Invalides , is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's...
and his wife. - 140. Portrait of M. Hemmery.
- 141. Double Portraits of Mme de Torram, and her brother. Portrait of Mademoiselle ***, dressed as an ancient Greek
- 133. Portrait of Dom Philippe, Infante of Spain, Duke of Parma
1756 Salon
-
- 87. Three sketches of mythological scenes. The first shows Diana surprising the sleeping shepherd EndymionEndymion (mythology)In Greek mythology, Endymion , was variously a handsome Aeolian shepherd or hunter or a king who ruled and was said to reside at Olympia in Elis, but he was also said to reside and was venerated on Mount Latmus in Caria, on the west coast of Asia Minor....
; the second shows ClytieClytieIn Greek mythology, the name Clytie or Clytia may refer to:*Clytie , known for her unrequited love for Helios....
's metamorphoses into a sunflower; the third shows VulcanVulcan (mythology)Vulcan , aka Mulciber, is the god of beneficial and hindering fire, including the fire of volcanoes in ancient Roman religion and Roman Neopaganism. Vulcan is usually depicted with a thunderbolt. He is known as Sethlans in Etruscan mythology...
and VenusVenus (mythology)Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
in the Forges of Lemnos, with the Cyclopes forging Achilles' weapons; canvas of 20. - 88. Four paintings of seascapes, landscapes and four historic scenes, figures and animals. The seascape shows sunset; a vessel entering a port, with others at anchor; other buildings, ships, barks and chalops, figures of different nations on the quay and shores. All these make up canvas of 40.
- 89. Two high paintings, canvas of 20.
- 90. Seascape with sunrise, canvas of 8, made for the cabinet of M. le Comte de Vance.
- 91. Portrait of Madame la Duchesse de Lauraguay, dressed as a Cordelière, in pastel, canvas of 20.
- 92. Six small paintings of seascapes and landscapes, one of sunrise, the others of sunset, and a clair de Lune, all with figures; canvas of 8, 6 & 4.
- 93. M. le Cardinal d'Uriny, former Nuncio to France, pastel on canvas of 12.
- 94. Portrait of Madame la Comtesse de la Guiche, as a Naiad, oils, canvas of 25.
- 95. Annibal CamouxAnnibal CamouxAnnibal Camoux was a former French soldier from Marseilles who was noted for his amazing longevity. Most researchers, including French historian Louis Thibaux, consider this an unverified longevity claim....
, born 1638, in oils from life, at Marseille, at the age of 112 years [sic], now 118 years, as fresh and well as he is shown in his Portrait. Part of these paintings belong to the painter. - 96. A Painting for M. le Comte de Vance, showing a Sea Fort with several Figures, with the Sun appearing to set in the Sea, canvas of 8.
- 87. Three sketches of mythological scenes. The first shows Diana surprising the sleeping shepherd Endymion
Other
- Portrait of Philippe d’Orléans, Regent of France. Oil on canvas, 133 x 90 cm. Signed and dated bottom right "fecit par R. Vialy 1718".
- Portrait of a young woman as Hebe. Oil on canvas, 67 x 55 cm. Signed and dated bottom left "L. R. Vialj pinxit / 1753". Sold in Paris, hôtel Drouot, Piasa, 22 June 2007, lot. 97.
- Presumed portrait of madame de Musset. Pastel, 58,5 x 47,5 cm. Signed and dated 1751 bottom right. Sold in Paris, hôtel Drouot, 17 June 2005, lot. 80.
- Portrait of a man in blue, called Self-portrait (Neil Jeffarès). Pastel, 46 x 38 cm. Signed and dated bottom left : « Vialy pinxit 1742 ». Auctioned in Lille, Mercier & Cie, 15 December 2001, lot. 358 (not bought) ; sold in Paris, May Duhamel & Associés, 6 June 2004, lot. 296.
- Portrait of Joseph Vernet, painter. Pastel, dated and signed "L. R. Vialj / pinxit / 1752". Paris, musée de la marine.