Claude-Baptiste Tailleur (1823–1891), Portrait of an Artist (1861)

Oil on canvas. 66 x 52.5 cm. Signed and dated lower right. With frame.

This painting depicts a male figure in a solemn pose, dressed in a deep red toga — a traditional iconography evoking apostles, prophets, or other biblical figures.

The tight framing on the bust highlights the finesse of execution, particularly in the rendering of fabric textures and curly hair. The graying beard, portrayed with remarkable precision, immediately draws the viewer’s eye and serves as a central element of the composition.

The color palette, dominated by warm and earthy tones — browns, reds, and greys — imparts a meditative and contemplative atmosphere. A subtle side lighting sculpts the facial features, lending depth and realism to the piece.

Claude-Baptiste Tailleur, a former student of Louis Janmot and the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, regularly exhibited at the Salon de Lyon. He taught drawing at the Lycée de Lyon from 1864 to 1871. Among his known works is Saint Joseph and the Christ Child between Two Angels, housed in the church of the Visitation Sainte-Marie Convent in Fourvière.