Painting By Auguste Alexandre Hirsch (1833-1912): Tepidarium

Magnificent salon painting exhibited at the Palais des Champs-Élysées, Paris, May 1, 1863, under number 926. This painting will be restored by our workshops before delivery. An antique composition depicting men at the tepidarium (part of the Roman baths maintained at a moderate temperature), this painting, which was the artist's reception piece at the Salon in 1863, is of a quality representative of the painter's style. Vibert was a student of Victor Vibert at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon from 1851 to 1854, and then of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, which he entered in 1856, where he studied under Henri Flandrin and Gleyre. He exhibited historical and genre paintings, portraits, figures, and scenes from Morocco in Paris and Lyon, and he also reproduced the Old Masters, particularly in Paris. He won a bronze medal at the Universal Expositions of 1889 and 1900 and was decorated in 1889. In 1877, he painted the ceiling of the Théâtre des Célestins in Lyon. The city's Museum of Fine Arts owns a painting by him from 1882 depicting Rebecca. His works are exhibited in numerous museums, notably in Mulhouse, Lyon, Paris, Périgueux, etc. Auguste Alexandre Hirsch was the son of Alexandre Hirsch (1801-1890), an embroidery merchant, and Rosalie Mayer (1801-1885). He was the brother of Malvina Hirsch (1826-1917), Abraham Hirsch (1828-1913), chief architect of the City of Lyon, Julie Hirsch (born in 1831), and Joseph Hirsch (1836-1901)[3], chief engineer, civil engineer, professor of machinery at the École des Ponts et Chaussées (School of Bridges and Roads), professor of applied mechanics at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts), experimenter and expert in thermal machines, and later honorary inspector general of bridges and roads. Auguste Alexandre Hirsch studied under Victor Vibert in Lyon between 1851 and 1854, and then under Hippolyte Flandrin and Charles Gleyre at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He traveled to Morocco in 1870, which inspired his paintings of the Tetouan community. He made his debut at the Salon of 1857 with a drawing depicting Moses. He exhibited in Paris and Lyon from 1857 to 1909. He received medals at the Salon (honorable mention and bronze medal) in 1889, and at the Universal Exhibitions of 1889 and 1900. His Jewish heritage led him to choose a discreet expression of identity by introducing Jewish elements into a rather classical iconography. An academic painter, he painted portraits, genre scenes, and subjects inspired by classical mythology. In 1877, he painted the ceiling of the Théâtre des Célestins in Lyon. He was an inspector of drawing instruction at the Fine Arts administration in 1879 and an inspector of departmental museums in 1887. He wrote the article "Practical Perspective" for the Dictionary of Pedagogy and Primary Education.