Henriette De Longchamp (1814-1887), Downy Primrose, Oil On Canvas

Henriette de LONGCHAMP (1814-1887)

Primula pubescens ; Pubescent primrose
Oil on canvas
Signed “Htte de Longchamp” lower left
Marked “E. Vernier” on the back of the canvas, marchand de couleurs et d'encadrements, 79 rue de sèvres, 1836-1860
21.5 x 16 cm

Originally from Saint-Dizier in Haute-Marne, Henriette de Longchamp, still referred to as “mademoiselle” in magazines of the 1860s, was one of the most distinguished female “florist” painters in Paris under the July Monarchy and then under the Second Empire. She excelled in the depiction of flowers, particularly roses. Her mentor was the Lyon artist Simon Saint-Jean (1808-1860), himself a great flower painter who had trained with Pierre Révoil (1776-1842).

Henriette de Longchamp made her debut at the 1841 Salon, where she sent a watercolor basket of flowers and a still life with fruit. The State acquired Offering to the Holy Virgin, a painting presented at the 1846 Salon and unanimously praised by critics for its great delicacy and the finesse of its colors. In 1847, the artist was awarded a third-class medal at the Salon, and the following year, a second-class medal. She exhibited works at the Salon until 1886, and her careful, polished painting was very well received throughout her career.

The small-format oil on canvas we are offering represents a downy primrose (Primula pubescens), a plant in the Primulaceae family that blooms in spring and offers thick leaves and dark purple flowers illuminated by a golden-yellow center that the artist reproduces with great delicacy.