John Lewis Brown (1829-1890) - La Grisette, La Vivandière et les Cavaliers

ohn Lewis Brown depicts a captivating painting with this intriguing scene from soldiers' life. In the background, the Vivandière provides supplies to the soldiers, while the Grisette in the foreground offers both supplies and her charms.

This oil on wood is dated 1856 and signed in the lower right corner.

Dimensions:
Without frame: Height 21.5 inches - Width 17.7 inches
With frame: Height 27.6 inches - Width 24 inches

The painting is in excellent condition and is enhanced by its beautiful 19th-century carved and gilded stucco wooden frame.

Biography:

Jean Louis Brown, known as John Lewis Brown, was born on August 16, 1829, in Bordeaux and died on November 14, 1890, in Paris. He was a French painter and engraver.

Originally from Bordeaux and descended from an old Scottish family, Brown moved to Paris around 1840. He initially studied at the École Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort before turning to the Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied under Camille Roqueplan and Jean-Hilaire Belloc.

Renowned for his hunting and battle scenes, as well as his studies of horses and dogs, Brown depicted historical events such as the American War of Independence, the Seven Years' War, and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.

An accomplished engraver, he produced numerous lithographs, aquatints, etchings, monotypes, and soft-ground varnishes. He was also the builder of the Château Cantenac-Brown in Margaux, Gironde.

Stéphane Mallarmé commissioned him to design the cover for the project Le Tiroir de laque, which ultimately did not materialize. A lithograph depicting a mysterious young woman remains from this collaboration.

Works in Public Collections:

Albi, Musée Toulouse-Lautrec:
Cavaliers et cabriolet (1876), oil on canvas, on loan from the Musée d'Orsay.

Brest, Musée des Beaux-Arts:
Le Passage du gué de bourg de Batz, oil on canvas, 38.2 × 51.3 inches.

Les Pêcheries, Musée de Fécamp:
Cavalier en habit rouge, oil on panel.

Libourne, Musée des Beaux-Arts:
Hussard (1863), oil on canvas, on loan from the Musée d'Orsay.
Paysage de rivière (1873), oil on canvas, on loan from the Musée d'Orsay.

Paris, Musée d'Orsay:
Avant le départ (1890), oil on canvas.