Andre Charles Voillemot

Available for sale from Big Sky Fine Art in the English county of Dorset, this original oil painting is by the French artist André Charles Voillemot and dates from the 1860s. <br> The painting is presented and supplied in a contemporary wooden frame (which is shown in these photographs) which compliments the painting.<br> The canvas has benefitted from cleaning, restoration and conservation, which was performed on our instruction, supervision and approval. <br> This antique painting is in very good condition. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display.<br> The painting is signed lower left.<br> The painting also features a dedication lower left to Victorien Sardou (1831 – 1908), the French dramatist.<br> <br> André Charles Voillemot was a distinguished French painter and illustrator, celebrated for his contributions to 19th-century academic art. He is particularly known for his mythological compositions, allegorical subjects, genre scenes and portraits.<br> <br> Born in Paris on December 13, 1822, he was the son of Jules François Voillemot, a locksmith, and Marie Suzanne Armande Dutertre. Voillemot studied and honed his artistic skills under the mentorship of Michel Drolling, a noted French painter of the time. <br> He made his debut at the Salon of 1845, initially focusing on portraiture. His works won very positive critical acclaim from the start, although it wasn’t until after 1848 that his works began to garner significant public attention. He became very popular among European collectors, and his subjects were frequently described by contemporary critics as “figures de grandeur naturelle”.<br> Voillemot opened a studio at no. 26 Rue de Laval (now Rue Victor Massé) in the Montmartre / Pigalle neighbourhoods. His growing success meant that he soon began to receive major commissions. Following the 1856 fire at the Château de Fontainebleau’s theatre, Voillemot was commissioned to create allegorical figures, including Poetry, Music, Fame and the Genius of the Arts, reflecting the neo-Rococo style popular during the Second Empire. It is likely that this work, an Allegory of Summer, dates from this period, and it is notable that the dedication is to the renowned dramatist Victorien Sardou. Voillemot was also responsible for the decoration of the Palacio del ex Congreso Nacional de Chile in Santiago.<br> <br> In 1865, Voillemot married Clotilde Pauline Deuff, with the renowned sculptor Aimé Millet serving as a witness. In 1867 he was commissioned to decorate the Imperial Pavillion at the Exposition Universal. His career reached a pinnacle in 1870 when he was awarded a silver medal at the Salon and was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honour<br> <br> Voillemot passed away on April 9, 1893, at his home in Paris. The following month several of his works and his studio collection were sold at auction at the Hôtel Drouot. <br> <br> Throughout his career, Voillemot’s works were characterized by their delicate elegance and adherence to academic traditions. His paintings remain a testament to the artistic movements and cultural milieu of 19th-century France. Examples of his works are in many prestigious public and private collections, including the Paris Maison de Victor Hugo, the Musée de Beaux Arts de Rennes and Hauteville House, St Peter Port in Guernsey.<br> <br> © Big Sky Fine Art<br> <br> “Allegory of Summer” is a captivating oil on canvas painting by renowned 19th-century French artist André Charles Voillemot. This exquisite artwork embodies the essence of summer through a romanticized female figure, a common theme in Academic and Rococo Revival painting. The piece is signed in the lower left, and carries a dedication to the nineteenth century dramatist Victorien Sardou (1831-1908). <br> <br> The composition showcases a partially draped mythological or allegorical female figure, clad in diaphanous white fabric, symbolizing warmth, fertility, and abundance. She is adorned with vibrant summer flowers and surrounded by delicate, colourful butterflies, evoking a sense of movement and lightness. The soft, pastoral background with lush greenery enhances the idyllic and harmonious atmosphere, characteristic of French allegorical art from the era.<br> <br> Voillemot’s skilful brushwork and luminous colour palette reflect the influence of Neoclassicism and Romanticism, producing an image that is poetic, delicate and full of light.