Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger (1814-1893) – Portrait of an elegant Lady, oil on panel circa 1849

Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger (1814-1893) – Portrait of an elegant Lady, oil on panel circa 1849

An undeniable quality and beauty emanates from this beautiful romantic portrait of an elegant Lady, wearing a splendid dress embellished with a blue jacket, a red shawl casually placed at her side. The details on the hands, jewelry and clothing are beautiful. Grace and romance.

The painting is served by a splendid carved and gilded wooden and stucco frame.

Beautiful oil on panel from the middle of the XIXth century, signed and dated lower left by Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger, 1849.

Dimension without frame: Height 37 cm - Length 29,5 cm.

Dimensions with frame: Height 55 cm - Length 51 cm.

On its panel and in its original frame, in very good condition.

Origin : 

Our painting comes from the dispersion of the Hélène Bokanowski-Khann collection, during the Arcurial sale of February 22, 2017 from Alphonse Kann to his niece Hélène, a century of collection from 1900-2000 and ADER sale of November 3, 2022.

On October 18, 1940 the Germans emptied the property of Alphonse Kann, taking 1400 paintings. In July 1947, the CRA (Artistic Recovery Commission set up at the Liberation) returned 725 paintings to Alphonse Kann.

His niece Hélène Bokanoswski kept part of this set, while enriching it with modern and contemporary works by artists she often knew, until the 1990s. 

We can deduce that this painting by Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger was one of the 725 paintings returned in 1947.

Biography : 

Henri Guillaume Schlesinger (Heinrich Wilhelm Schlesinger in German), born August 6, 1814 in Frankfurt am Main in Prussia and died February 21, 1893 in Neuilly sur Seine, German portrait and genre painter. Besides oil painting, he used watercolor and miniature painting on ivory.

Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger first studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, then moved to France and continued his artistic education in Paris. 

Dividing his life between Austria and France. Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger eventually adopted French nationality in 1870. 

Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger exhibited almost every year between 1840 and 1890 at the Salon of French Artists, genre scenes, some of which were lithographed, which enabled him to acquire strong popularity. 

Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger obtained a third class medal in 1840, a second class medal in 1847, and was decorated with the Legion of Honor in 1866.

His series of paintings entitled "The five senses" will be purchased by Empress Eugénie at the end of the Salon of 1865.

Present in Istanbul during the reign of Mahmud II (1808 – 1839), Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger produced several official portraits of the sultan, including a large equestrian portrait in 1837, representing him in Western costume, wearing the black frock coat and the fez. This painting is now kept in the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul. Two years later, Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger made another portrait of Mahmud II, offered by Rachid Pasha to Louis-Philippe and which is in the Museum of Versailles.

During his stays in the Orient, Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger made numerous visits to the court, which enabled him, on his return to Paris, to produce orientalist paintings in his studio, and in particular harem scenes of great elegance. , whose delicacy reminds us of the Ingresque style.

Museums:

Versailles Museum.

Vienna Museum Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul.

References:

Bénézit, Dictionary of painters, sculptors, designers and engravers, Gründ 1999 Schurr.

Dictionary of the little masters of the 19th Bellier de la Chavignerie and Auvray.

Dictionary of Artists of the French School Frédéric Hitzel, Colors of the Golden Horn.

Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger (1814-1893) – Portrait of an Elegant Lady, oil on panel circa 1849

An undeniable quality and beauty emanates from this beautiful romantic portrait of an elegant Lady, wearing a splendid dress with a blue jacket, and a red shawl carelessly placed at her side. The details of the hands, the jewelry, and the clothes are magnificent. Grace and romanticism.

The painting is served by a splendid frame in wood and stucco carved and gilded.

Beautiful oil on panel of the middle of the 19th century, signed and dated on the lower left by Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger, 1849.

Measurements unframed: H 14.56 In. – W 11.61 In.

Measurements with frame: H 21.65 In. - W 20.07 In.

On its original panel and in its original frame, in very fine condition.

Origin: 

Our painting comes from the dispersion of the Hélène Bokanowski-Khann collection, during the Arcurial sale of February 22, 2017 from Alphonse Kann to his niece Hélène, a century of collection from 1900-2000 and ADER sale of November 3, 2022.

On October 18, 1940 the Germans emptied Alphonse Kann's property, taking 1400 paintings. In July 1947, the CRA (Commission de Récupération Artistique set up at the Liberation) returned 725 paintings to Alphonse Kann.

His niece Hélène Bokanoswski has kept part of this collection, while enriching it with modern and contemporary works by artists she often knew, until the 1990s. 

We can deduce that this painting by Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger was one of the 725 paintings returned in 1947.

Biography: 

Henri Guillaume Schlesinger (Heinrich Wilhelm Schlesinger in German), born August 6, 1814 in Frankfurt am Main, Prussia, and died February 21, 1893 in Neuilly sur Seine, German portrait and genre painter. In addition to oil painting, he used watercolor and miniature painting on ivory.

Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger first studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, then moved to France and continued his artistic education in Paris. 

Dividing his life between Austria and France. Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger finally adopted French nationality in 1870. 

Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger exhibited almost every year between 1840 and 1890 at the Salon des artistes français, genre scenes, some of which were lithographed, which allowed him to acquire strong popularity. 

Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger obtained a third-class medal in 1840, a second-class medal in 1847, and was awarded the Legion of Honor in 1866.

His suite of paintings entitled “The Five Senses” was purchased by Empress Eugenie after the 1865 Salon.

Present in Istanbul during the reign of Mahmud II (1808 – 1839), Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger painted several official portraits of the sultan, including a large equestrian portrait in 1837, depicting him in Western costume, wearing a black frock coat and fez. This painting is now kept in the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul. Two years later, Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger made another portrait of Mahmud II, offered by Rachid Pasha to Louis-Philippe and which is in the Museum of Versailles.

During his stays in the East, Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger made numerous visits to the court, which allowed him, on his return to Paris, to paint Orientalist pictures in his studio, notably harem scenes of great elegance, whose delicacy reminds us of the Ingresque style.

Museums:

Museum of Versailles.

Museum of Vienna. Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul.

Bibliography:

Bénézit, Dictionary of painters, sculptors, designers and engravers, Gründ 1999 Schurr.

Dictionary of the little masters of the 19th Bellier de la Chavignerie and Auvray.

Dictionary of Artists of the French School Frédéric Hitzel, Colors of the Golden Horn.