JEAN BAPTISTE SINGRY (1782-1824)

Portrait of a Lady, probably the artist’s wife, Catherine-Émélie (nèe) Mailfer, wearing white satin dress with gold cord belt, blue Kashmir stole with embroidered edging and a gold comb in her hair

Dated 1818
Watercolour on ivory
Ivory registration number: KSHZRHDP
Original, rectangular ormolu frame with stamped outer border
Signed and dated ‘Singry/ 1818’
Oval, 115 mm (4 ¹/₂ inches) high

SOLD

“Schidlof writes, ‘few French miniaturists of his period can be compared to Singry. His works, splendid in drawing and execution, have such a truth and force of expression that in some he even surpasses his master Isabey’.”
When the current owner showed the present work to a descendent of the artist (Madame Bouleau-Rabaud, then at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts), she confirmed the portrait to be of Singry’s wife, Catherine-Émélie Mailfer, whom he had married in 1807.

Jean-Baptiste Singry was a son of the painter Nicolas Singry. In his youth he went to Paris where he became a student of Vincent and Jean-Baptiste Isabey, probably the most revered miniaturist working in this period. From the outset, Singry seems to have found his niche in painting miniatures (although he also exhibited a number of lithographs). He made his Salon debut in 1806 with a self-portrait. He exhibited several miniatures in 1808 and (among others) the portrait of actress Mlle Alexandrine St. Aubin as "Cinderella" in 1810.

Singry rapidly formed a clientele amongst artists and theatre people. In 1812 he exhibited the portraits of Isabey and Mlle Pauline as well as his self-portrait; in 1817 - that of Michelot of the Theatre Francais. He exhibited at the Salon until the year of his death in 1824.

Schidlof writes, ‘few French miniaturists of his period can be compared to Singry. His works, splendid in drawing and execution, have such a truth and force of expression that in some he even surpasses his master Isabey’.[1]

Very few of his portrait miniatures are represented in British collections, although there is one example in the Victoria and Albert Museum and two in the Wallace Collection.[2]  In 2015, The Nationalmuseum in Sweden acquired the portrait of the actor Antoine Michaut from Sotheby’s (22,500 EUR), painted in 1815.[3]

[1] Léo R. Schidlof, The Miniature in Europe in the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries (Four volumes), Graz, 1964, p.758.

[2] Reynolds, G., Wallace Collection Catalogue of Miniatures, London: The Trustees of the Wallace Collection, 1980, pp. 263-264, cat. no. 248 and 249.

[3] Link to press release: https://www.mynewsdesk.com/nationalmuseum/pressreleases/new-acquisition-miniature-painting-by-jean-baptiste-singry-1189300 
The Collection of Madame E. T. de Savelli;
Hotel Drouot, Paris, 2nd November 1925, lot 68;
The Property of Robert Horst; Christie’s, London, 7th November 1961, lot 175;
The Property of a Swiss Private Collector; Christie’s, London, 15th April 1997, lot 162;
Private Collection, UK.
Christie’s Review of the Year 1961-62, London and Bradford, n.d., illustrated p. 63.

shipping notice

Worldwide shipping is included in all prices.

The Limner Company does not accept any responsibility for import duty, this is to be paid by the buyer.

Some stock items contain materials from endangered species which are governed by CITES regulations and will require a permit to export outside of Great Britain. If a certificate of export is required then this will be the responsibility of and paid for by the buyer .

HeaderLogo
Portrait of a Lady, probably the artist’s wife, Catherine-Émélie (nèe) Mailfer, wearing white satin dress with gold cord belt, blue Kashmir stole with embroidered edging and a gold comb in her hair

JEAN BAPTISTE SINGRY

(1782-1824)

Portrait of a Lady, probably the artist’s wife, Catherine-Émélie (nèe) Mailfer, wearing white satin dress with gold cord belt, blue Kashmir stole with embroidered edging and a gold comb in her hair

This field is mandatory

 

shipping notice

The item added to cart contains materials from endangered or protected species. The Limner Company cannot arrange for the delivery of artworks containing ivory, tortoiseshell, or mother of pearl outside of the UK due to import restrictions. The buyer or designated agent may collect the property in the country of sale.

You are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of any items made from or containing certain endangered or protected species (such as ivory, tortoiseshell, or mother of pearl), while other countries will require a permit (e.g. a CITES licence). Such permits must be obtained from the relevant regulatory body in both the country of importation and exportation. If you intend to import such items into another country you should familiarise yourself with the relevant customs regulations and laws before purchase. Delays or refusal of import or export of such works shall not permit cancellation of a sale. It is your responsibility to satisfy any laws or regulations applying to the import or export of any work containing such protected species. For further information on the protected species listed please visit the CITES website:http://www.cites.org/. For further information about import and export regulations please visit:http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/imports-exports/cites/. On request, the Company can assist with or apply for a license on your behalf.

Please contact us to discuss shipping options..

checkout details

Your basket exceeds the allowed online transaction limit of £10,000. Please remove an item from your basket to continue to checkout. Successive online sales totalling £10,000 are also prohibited. Please get in touch if you would like to move forward with the purchase in accordance with anti-money laundering regulation.


Under the terms of the anti-money laundering regulation we are required to conduct customer due diligence (CDD) on all sales of works of art over £10,000 before the transaction is carried out. While therefore we may agree to such a sale in principle, we will not be able to conclude (i.e. receive funds, give up possession or transfer title) it until we have received all the necessary CDD information from you and have been able to verify it as required by the regulation.

shipping TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Worldwide shipping is included in all prices.

The Limner Company does not accept any responsibility for import duty, this is to be paid by the buyer.

See Section 7.5 in Terms & Conditions for information on export/import regulations. Please contact us to discuss shipping options. Some stock items contain materials from endangered species which are governed by CITES regulations and will require a permit to export outside of Great Britain. If a certificate of export is required then this will be the responsibility of and paid for by the buyer.

See Section 7.5 in Terms & Conditions for information on export/import regulations.

Please contact us to discuss shipping options.

you may also like