Nicolas Gosse

NICOLAS GOSSE (Paris, 1787-Soncourt-sur-Marne, 1878).
"Portrait of Aglaé Françoise Françoise Lebe Gigun", 1829.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated.
Presents faults in the frame.
Measurements: 56.5 x 47 cm; 70 x 67 x 5 cm (frame).

The composition represents Aglaé Françoise Lebe Gigun with only three years old. Her face, of wide faces, stands out on the opaque background, showing the fully delineated outline. The author creates a simple and balanced image with accurate chromatic notes that add volume to the work. The girl covers her head with a delicate tulle cap.

Painter and engraver, Nicolas Gosse was responsible for the tempera decoration of several buildings and theaters in Paris and the murals in the church of Saint-Nicolat-du-Chardonnet. He was a pupil of François-André Vincent, who taught him the art of precise drawing, brilliant touches and contrasting tones. His portraits are of great distinction in the firmness of the graphics. The themes of the "troubadour" genre that he sent to the Salon from 1808 to 1872 are an ingenious conception of theatrical composition, as confirmed by the scenes of the Napoleonic epic and those of the reign of Charles X and Louis-Philippe (Versailles history gallery). He obtained a third class medal in 1819, then a second class medal in 1824. In 1828 he was made a knight of the Legion of Honor, then promoted to officer in 1870. Source: Dictionary of the Little Masters of Painting (1820-1920) by Pierre Cabanne and Gérald Schurr.