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TITLE:
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The New Arrival
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WORK DATE:
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1861
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PERIOD:
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19th century
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CATEGORY:
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Paintings
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MATERIALS:
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Oil on panel
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MARKINGS:
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Signed and dated lower right: A. Toulmouche 1861
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SIZE:
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24 x 19.25 inches (61 x 48.9 cm.)
Framed: 30.75 x 26.125 inches (78.1 x 66 cm.)
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PRICE*:
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Contact Gallery for Price
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DESCRIPTION:
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Auguste Toulmouche was a successful genre painter who briefly mentored the young Claude Monet. He exhibited his work at The Salon from 1848 onwards, receiving numerous accolades, including a silver medal at the Salon of 1861 and a bronze medal at the 1878 Universal Exposition.
Married to a cousin of Monet's Aunt Lecadre, Toulmouche accepted Monet in his atelier in 1862. In the same year, he encouraged Monet to enter the studio of the Swiss history painter Charles Gleyre, under whom he had also studied. Along with others of Gleyre's students, Toulmouche was briefly associated with the classicising Néo-greco style, led by Jean-Léon Gérôme.
Although he also produced portraits and landscapes, he is primarily known for his intimate interior scenes of domestic life. His paintings exhibit the polished, academic style typical of Gleyre and his followers. In 1870, he was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.
The New Arrival, a tender depiction of a mother and her young children, is the type of genre painting that was widely appreciated by the 19th century public and the type that established Toulmouche’s reputation. Shown in profile, the lovely auburn-haired woman, holding her young daughter upon her lap, silently watches over the sleeping baby. The fair-haired young girl, clothed in a white smocked dress, a blue silk ribbon fastened in a bow about the waist, gently draws back the blue taffeta drape to peek at her new sibling. The faces of the mother and daughter are beautifully rendered, the flesh tones brought to a pinched glow in the cheeks. The young mother, wearing a white dress accented with lace and ribbon of pale rose, is exquisitely painted. Toulmouche has captured with remarkable realism the sheen of the dress, its folds and creases hinting at the weight and texture of the fabric.
The baby’s crib is a delightful confection of lace and taffeta, a sheer veil of organdy embroidered with tiny flowers and edged in lace complements the decorative motif lining the crib. Clothed in white, the three figures create a striking juxtaposition against the muted backdrop of rich purple damask drapes, which are drawn back to reveal a coordinating back wall. The floor covering is of a deep green color emblazoned with star-shaped designs. The French Rococo style chair, upholstered in green and gold fabric and the round footstool of crimson velvet add well-placed accents of intense color to this engaging work.
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PROVENANCE:
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Private collection, USA
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