Ferdinand Roybet (1840-1920) The Cellist

Ferdinand ROYBET (1840-1920)The cellistOil on panel,Signed top rightH. 46 cm - W. 37 cm HVSFrame from a later period.Bibliography:Ferdinand Roybet was born in 1840 in Uzès in Occitanie. He began by studying engraving at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, then, later, painting by copying the great Flemish and Italian masters present at the Louvre Museum.After the death of his father in 1863, he moved to Paris with his wife and child and became a pupil of Jean-Georges Vibert. This period was marked by a particularly complicated financial situation.In 1865, he exhibited for the first time at the Paris Salon. But it was the following year that he began to become famous thanks to his painting entitled "Fool under Henry III", purchased by Princess Mathilde. He then moved towards academic and historical painting. At the end of the siege of Paris, he undertook study trips to Belgium and then to Algeria. There, he developed his orientalist style, which marked the rest of his career. He also produced a large number of portraits in period costume of famous people, such as Madame Raymond Poincaré. It was also from this period that he began to paint his first musketeers and gentlemen to whom he owes part of his reputation. Towards the end of his life, he painted 22 paintings of the Passion of Christ, which were exhibited in 1921 at the Salon, a year after his death. He enjoyed great recognition during his lifetime. Many wealthy collectors bought his works, guaranteeing him a high income. In addition, he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1892, and an Officer of the same order in 1900. In 1927, seven years after his death, he was awarded a museum in Courbevoie, housing a large part of his collection. He is also present in numerous museums internationally, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as well as in Tokyo and Saint Petersburg.