Portrait of Edmond Membrée in a medallion
Canvas mounted on panel.
61 x 61 cm
Dedicated and signed lower left A SON AMI MEMBREE / J L GERÔME.
Frameless
(Accidents and restorations).
Provenance :
- Alfred TARDIF collection, founder of Maison Tardif, decorator, 29, rue Bayen, Paris 17th, early 20th century.
- Private collection, Paris, by descent
Composer Edmond Membrée (Valenciennes 1820-Domont 1882) belonged to the circle of artist friends of Gérôme who met in his studio known as "Châlet".
Gerôme is considered the leader of the Neo-Grecs movement, which had its heyday between 1840 and 1855. This group of painters advocated anecdotal antiquity as a source of inspiration. Most had been pupils of Gleyre or David d'Angers. Gérôme's painting Jeunes Grecs faisant battre des coqs, shown at the 1847 Salon, had enthralled Théophile Gautier.
Gérôme, along with painters such as Picou, Hamon and Boulanger, lived and worked at one of the most famous phalansteres of the time, the Châlet, located at 27, rue de Fleurus. Other artists, sculptors, writers and musicians joined them for joyous gatherings, among them Théophile
Gautier, Théodore de Banville, Henri Murger, Edouard Lalo and Edmond Membrée.
Edmond Membrée composed mainly vocal works. He enjoyed great popular success with romances such as L'Ondine et le pêcheur, and Page, écuyer, capitaine in the 1840s. He was awarded the Prix
Chartier for his Trios de genre in 1873. Some of his operas were presented at the Paris Opéra, notably
François Villon in 1857 and L'Esclave in 1874.
Our portrait is related to a series of allegorical works painted in the 1850s (see G. M. Ackerman, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Paris, 2000, no. 41, reproductions).
This portrait was engraved. It also served as a model for sculptor Vendémiaire Pavot's marble medallion, which was placed in 1912 on Membrée's birthplace in Valenciennes, 13 rue Notre Dame (Maison du
Provost's House). The commemorative plaque disappeared during the war. It was found in the reserves of the town's museum and returned to its rightful place in 1991.
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