Eugène Girardet

EUGÈNE GIRARDET (1853-1907).
"Scene at the Luxembourg Palace with an officer of the 6th cuirassier regiment".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 35.5 x 45.5 cm; 43.5 x 55 x 3.5 cm (frame).

In this canvas Girardet transcends the genre of the family portrait to give us a fleeting snapshot of the daily life of the bourgeoisie of the time, an image full of charm and delicacy, which captures the viewer's gaze. It is a family portrait of a young officer of the 6th cuirassier regiment entertaining his little boy with a glove. The little boy rests on his mother's lap, who looks on with pleasure as she covers herself with an umbrella. The scene takes place in a park in Luxembourg City.

Although Eugène Girardet was known as an orientalist, he also painted genre scenes. He was a student of Cabanel at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He painted portraits, genre scenes and some orientalist subjects, but specialized in historical scenes. His works were awarded prizes at the Paris Salon of 1881, and he received a silver medal at the Universal Exposition of 1889. In museums: Cholet, Morlaix, Quimper, Saint-Denis, and in the United Kingdom (Williamson Art Gallery and Museum).