Claudius Jacquand (1803 – 1878), The Musician, 1863

Oil on canvas – Signed and dated 1863 lower left – 33 × 25 cm

A pupil of Fleury Richard, Claudius Jacquand established himself from the 1830s onward as one of the leading exponents of genre portraiture and historical scenes. After beginning his career in Lyon, he moved to Paris, where he received medals and official recognition. A respected history painter, Jacquand also excelled in the art of intimate portraiture, revealing great finesse of observation and a refined sense of composition.

In the dim light of a sacristy, an elderly monk sits holding his violin across his knees, the bow still in his hand. Beside him, a young chorister sings fervently before a large music stand. His expression is serious, almost melancholy, as if he were listening more than playing. Behind a door, other choirboys watch the scene with quiet reverence and delight.
The composition is built on the contrast between the youthful ardor of the singer and the meditative stillness of the old musician. Jacquand demonstrates his mastery of the genre portrait, attentive both to the accuracy of expressions and to the poetry of details — the texture of fabrics, the gray beard, the notations on the score. The subdued color palette, enlivened by the brightness of the white surplice and the warm reflections of the violin, recreates the peaceful atmosphere of a monastic interior. A lateral light sculpts the faces, catches on the carved wood of the music stand, and makes the varnish of the instrument glow.
This painting depicts an intimate and picturesque scene in which Claudius Jacquand displays the full measure of his talent. At once touching and filled with tenderness, the work evokes transmission, renewal, and the harmonious balance between generations.

His works are held in major museums in France and abroad, including Lyon, Versailles, Lille, Nantes, Munich, Amsterdam, and Neuchâtel.