Charles-Édouard Boutibonne (1816–1897) - Portrait of Mary de Nanteuil

Charles-Édouard Boutibonne
(Pest, 1816 – Wilderswil, 1897)

Portrait of Mary Augusta de La Barre de Nanteuil
(New York, 1836 – Saint-Brieuc, 1862)

Oil on oval canvas
Signature and date on the right
56 x 46 cm
1860

Born on July 8, 1816, in Pest, Hungary, to French parents, Charles-Édouard Boutibonne received early artistic training in Vienna, in the studio of court painter Friedrich von Amerling (1803–1887). He completed his apprenticeship in Paris, where he successively attended the studios of Achille Devéria (1800–1857), his brother Eugène Devéria (1805–1865), and then, especially, Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873), with whom he became one of his closest collaborators.

Boutibonne quickly established himself as one of the most prominent portrait painters of the Second Empire. His growing reputation earned him important official commissions, including two portraits of Napoleon III painted in collaboration with Winterhalter. He regularly participated in the Paris Salon between 1837 and 1883, where he received a 3rd-class medal in 1847 for a portrait, while also sending his works to various provincial salons, notably in Mulhouse. In 1854, he stayed in England, where he was invited to Windsor to paint portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1856 and 1857. His career then took a more discreet turn: in 1867, he became a member of the Artistic Association of the Canton of Bern, and eventually settled permanently in Wilderswil, near Interlaken, around 1885. He led a peaceful life there until his death in 1897.

A painter with an elegant touch and polished style, Boutibonne excelled in the art of society portraiture, following in the direct footsteps of Winterhalter, but with a more intimate, personal touch, often marked by a sensitivity to the sitter's psychology.

Museums: Mulhouse, Toulouse, Compiègne, etc.

This delicate portrait of Mary de La Barre de Nanteuil, from a French noble family, embodies both the worldly elegance of the Second Empire and the refined style of Charles Édouard Boutibonne, in which the influence of his mentor Franz Xaver Winterhalter is evident. The artist, renowned for his distinguished female portraits, displays all his virtuosity here: the softness of the facial modeling, the satiny rendering of the blue dress, and the effects of light on the fabrics reflect undeniable technical mastery.

The serene, slightly averted gaze and the three-quarter pose give the model a restrained dignity, emphasized by the red background, which enhances the pearly complexion of her face. The richness of the costume, the fine details, and the neck jewelry testify to a high social rank and a careful staging typical of commissioned portraits of the period.

Having died prematurely at the age of 26, Mary de La Barre de Nanteuil finds in this portrait a form of memorial permanence, inscribed in the tradition of the intimate and social portrait of the 19th century.