Offered by Galerie de Frise
Bernard GAILLOT
(Versailles 1780 - Paris, 1847)
Portraits of two sisters
Pair of oil on canvas
H. 92 cm ; L. 73 cm
One signed
A student of David, he presented his first works at the Salon of 1810. Best known for his portraits of children, his oeuvre does not appear to be particularly extensive. More than a dozen religious paintings are preserved in major churches in Paris and the provinces (Val de Grâce, Saint-Denis, Notre Dame des Victoires, Collégiale d'Eu, etc.), and a few paintings on historical subjects are kept at the Château de Versailles, commissioned by Louis-Philippe for the opening of the Musée de Versailles. He also produced numerous cartoons, mainly in wash, some of which were engraved.
Our two portraits of little girls most certainly represent sisters, and have remained in the family to this day. Unfortunately, time has made them lose their identity...
One is shown seated at the foot of a tree, in front of a kiosk with beautiful neoclassical architecture. She is holding a multitude of freshly picked flowers in her arms, holding them awkwardly. Her sister, wearing small red patent shoes, dips her feet in the pure water of a built-up fountain. Blue irises stand behind her. These two matching portraits express all the purity of childhood, between the spring, the flowers and the white outfits revealing the girls' pure skin. Innocence, purity, virginity, the whole language is here.
