Louis Priou, “mr Elie,” Oil On Canvas, 1880

Louis Priou, “Mr Elie,” oil on canvas, 1880

The painting is an oil portrait on canvas of a man, signed and dated in the upper left corner by Louis Priou in 1880.

With the dedication “To Mr. Elie, my friend” in the upper left corner.

The man, identified as “Mr. Elie,” is depicted with a serious and penetrating expression, with graying hair and beard.

He is wearing a dark suit with a waistcoat and bow tie. The portrait is framed in a gilded frame decorated with elaborate details.

The dimensions of the painting are H 81 x 72.5 cm with the frame and H 56 x 47 cm for the canvas alone.

A student of the School of Fine Arts of Alexandre Cabanel and Jean-Georges Vibert, he exhibited at the Salon des Artistes français from 1869 to 1914. He was awarded several times: he received a medal in 1869, a first-class medal in 1874, and finally a bronze medal at the 1900 World's Fair. In addition to genre scenes and portraits, he specialized in historical painting, with themes often borrowed from Greek mythology, and in particular scenes populated by satyrs and nymphs.