Defer, Jules (1803–1902) “queen Victoria At The Chalet Des Rosiers, Menton” Provence, England

DEFER, Jules (1803–1902)

“Queen Victoria at the Chalet des Rosiers, Menton”

Oil on canvas,
Monogrammed lower left,
Annotated on the back of the stretcher by the artist: “Chalet des Rosiers—Stay of Her Majesty the Queen of England - 1882 - Menton."

A beautiful, finely detailed work by the Nice-based painter Jules Defer, depicting a rare view of Queen Victoria’s residence during her stay in Menton in 1882.
Queen Victoria, dressed in black mourning attire following the loss of her husband in 1861, can be seen accompanied by two ladies-in-waiting as she strolls through the chalet’s grounds.
The artist pays particular attention to the details of the Chalet des Rosiers, the flowering plants, and the garden greenhouse.

The villa known as the Chalet des Rosiers was built in 1879 in the middle of a plot planted with olive and lemon trees. Gardens were laid out, notably planted with climbing rose bushes, which gave the residence its name. The property was larger at that time, bordered by Boulevard de Garavan to the northwest, the railroad to the southeast, and the Villa Noël trail to the north. Charles Henfrey, an engineer who had made his fortune in railroad construction—particularly in India—also owned a chalet on the shores of Lake Maggiore, where Queen Victoria had stayed in 1879.
In March 1882, Queen Victoria came to stay at the Chalet des Rosiers, arriving by train accompanied by an entourage of about sixty people. This was the first of her stays on the French Riviera, where she would return until 1899 to other resorts in the Var and Alpes-Maritimes departments.
By 1957, most of the grounds had been developed, and the Chalet des Rosiers is now divided into apartments.

A student of the famous landscape painter Jean-Victor Bertin, Jules Defer enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1824.As early as 1829, he entered the Grand Prix de Rome competition in the "Historical Landscape" category.
He settled on the French Riviera shortly after the annexation of Savoy and the County of Nice (1860), first in Monaco, then in Nice around 1863. Throughout his life, he devoted himself to producing paintings created en plein air in the Nice region—generally small in scale, imbued with great sensitivity, and highly sought after by collectors.
Through his precise brushwork and color palette, the painter Jules Defer succeeded in capturing the Mediterranean vegetation, its atmosphere, and the play of light with great accuracy and immediacy.

This work is a beautiful testament to a historical event of the 19th century and to the city of Menton.

Dimensions: 13.5 x 21.5 cm without the frame and 24.5 x 32.5 cm with its original gilded wooden frame.

For more information, please contact us.