Portrait Of A Man By Francis Blackwell Mayer, 1867

Portrait of François Viallet, 1867
Oil on canvas, signed and dated FB Mayer 1867 and dedicated to Éric to his friend François Viallet.
Period oval giltwood frame

Portrait executed in 1867 by the American painter Francis Blackwell Mayer, representing François Viallet, a man of about forty years old dressed in a black frock coat with green buttons, with a direct, penetrating and intelligent gaze.
Trained in Baltimore, Francis Blackwell Mayer was one of the most appreciated American painters for his historical scenes and portraits. He stayed in Paris in the 1860s, during which time he assimilated the principles of French realism, influenced in particular by Thomas Couture and Léon Bonnat.
This portrait dated 1867 testifies to this synthesis between the American tradition of portraiture and the psychological elegance of French portraiture.
The model, François Viallet, remains to be precisely identified, but his French-sounding name suggests a meeting of Mayer with intellectual circles in Paris. We can indeed read on the back of the frame an inscription in pencil which indicates that François Viallet was "Philosopher, etc."
Beautiful "psychological portrait" which is distinguished by the quality of its execution and the accuracy of the rendering, announcing the maturity of Mayer in his portraits of notables and men of letters.

Very good general condition, original canvas

Frame 50x43 cm