"love Letter" By Victor Joseph Chavet (french, 1822-1898)

This genre painting was executed in 1876 by the good French painter Victor Joseph Chavet (Pourcieux (Var) 1822-1906 Le Creusot (Saône-et-Loire)). Victor Chavet was a pupil of Pierre Révoil in Lyon then of Camille Roqueplan. He exhibited at the Parisian Salons and received numerous medals (1853, 1855, 1857, 1859). He was named Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1859 and was commissioned by the state. In addition to the paintings, he made important tapestry caricatures representing portraits of Francis I and the painter Francesco Romanelli, kept in the Apollo gallery of the Louvre museum. Another major government commission from the painter in 1857 led him to participate in the construction of the Louvre, completed in five years by Napoleon III. He is the author of a composition for the watercolor album offered by Napoleon III to Queen Victoria retracing the main events of his trip to France, such as the Walk in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. In 1874, he moved to Geneva. Cavet's works can be found in the following museums: Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA; Paris, Louvre; Douai: Portrait of JF Romanelli; Aix-en-Provence: The nun, portrait of Mrs. E. Loubon; Versailles: Portrait of Jacques Bergeret, vice-admiral; Paris: Church of Saint-Pierre du Gros-Caillou.

Literature: E. Benezit "Dictionary of painters, sculptors, decorators and engravers" (in French), Paris, 1999; Thieme/Becker, Leipzig, 1999; online wikipedia in French.
Inscription: signed and dated 1876, lower right.
Technique: oil on canvas. Luxurious period gilt frame.
Dimensions: without frame 27 x 36 cm; framed 52 x 62.5 cm.
Condition: in very good condition.