Paul Victor Mathey (1844–1929) Portrait Of His Son Jacques Writing, Drawing

Paul Victor Mathey (1844–1929)
Portraits of his son Jacques writing in a chaise longue
pencil on paper
15 x 20 cm
On the back of the sheet, currently hidden by the frame, is the inscription “Jacques Mathey by his father Paul Mathey ” (Jacques Mathey by his father Paul Mathey)
Framed: 18 x 23 cm

Provenance:
The artist’s estate.
The artist’s family.

This drawing depicts Jacques, the artist’s son, engrossed in writing, seated in a garden chair in a posture of complete natural ease. The pencil line, both fluid and controlled, reveals the hand of an accomplished portraitist who, here, sets aside all formal ambition in favor of a fleeting and affectionate observation. The outdoor setting—suggested rather than described—reinforces the intimacy of the scene.

Paul Victor Mathey was born in Paris on November 14, 1844, and died there on November 24, 1929.
The son of a restaurant owner, he trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under the painters Léon Cogniet, Isidore Pils, and Alexis-Joseph Mazerolle. He began exhibiting at the Paris Salon in 1868, before becoming a popular and renowned portraitist. He painted several portraits of artists from his circle in their studios.
Although he was primarily a portrait painter, Mathey also painted landscapes, seascapes, and scenes of daily life. He also devoted himself to engraving.
His work received numerous awards. Notably, he received a third-class medal at the 1876 Salon, a second-class medal at the 1885 Salon, and a gold medal at the 1889 World’s Fair. Finally, he was awarded the Legion of Honor on October 29, 1889.
His works are housed in numerous museums in France:
Brest: Museum of Fine Arts
Évreux: Évreux Museum
Dieppe: Dieppe Museum
Gray: Baron-Martin Museum
Le Havre: André Malraux Museum of Modern Art
Versailles: Museum of French History
Paris:
- Louvre Museum: the Department of Graphic Arts holds an album containing about a hundred of his sketches.
- Musée d’Orsay