Henri Jean-Baptiste Victoire Fradelle
Encyclopedia
Henri Jean-Baptiste Victoire Fradelle (1778–1865), was a Franco-English Victorian painter and portraitist, specializing in literary, historical and religious subjects. For more than a hundred years, he was confused with his son, Henry Joseph Fradelle (1805–1872), who was trained as an artist but had several professions, including infirmary supervisor. It was only in the first decade of the 21st century that this mistake was identified and that biographies, lists, and auction houses gave Fradelle his rightful name.
on 15 June 1778. His father was Joseph Guillaume Fradelle, a musician, and his mother was Adelaide Geneviève Valla, both from Paris. Fradelle studied under Joseph-Benoît Suvée
at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts
in Paris. He left for Italy in 1808 and lived there until 1816. He then moved to London, which became his home, apart from a few years spent in Paris between 1830 and 1837.
Over a period of about 30 years in England, Fradelle exhibited 36 pictures at the British Institution
, including The Cloister of the Carthusians at Rome Built by Michael Angelo; The Porch of St. Ambrose at Milan; Chatelar Playing the Lute to Mary Queen of Scots; Belinda at Her Toilette; The Earl of Leicester's Visit to Amy Robsart at Cumnor Place; Ivanhoe, Queen Elizabeth and Lady Paget; Origin of Painting; Souvenirs d'Italie—Il Sospiro, an Italian Dance; and Othello and Desdemona.
Fradelle also exhibited 11 works at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
, including Milton Dictating Paradise Lost to His Daughter, The Death of Adelaide, Othello Relating the Story of His Life to Brabantio and Desdemona, and Olivia and Viola. In addition, he presented works at the Royal Society of British Artists
, the Old Water-Colour Society, and the Paris Salon, where he won a medal in 1834. Fradelle also painted and exhibited portraits, such as those of Mrs. Jeffery, Mr. Thomas H. Johnston, and Captain Basset, R.A., as well as miniature portraits like Miss Stephens as Susanna in Marriage of Figaro.
Fradelle died at 36 Weymouth Street, Portland Place, London, on 14 March 1865 and is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery
. He was 86.
), Lord Northwick, Wynn Ellis, J. Marshall of Leeds, and the Duke of Leuchtenberg of Munich. The Earl of Leicester's Visit to Amy Robsart at Cumnor Place is exhibited at Petworth House (the preparatory drawing for the latter is in the British Museum
, London), and Fradelle's Othello Relating the Story of His Life to Brabantio and Desdemona is now part of the Royal Shakespeare Company
Collection in Stratford upon Avon. Drawings by Fradelle can be found at the Musée des Beaux-Arts
in Bordeaux, France.
Many of Fradelle's works were engraved by artists such as Charles Turner
(for example, The Earl of Leicester's Visit to Amy Robsart at Cumnor Place), William Say (Queen Elizabeth and Lady Paget and Belinda at Her Toilette, as well as The Interview Between Lady Jane Grey and Dr. Roger Ascham), R. Smart (Princess Elizabeth at Woodstock), J. Jazet (Chatelar Playing the Lute to Mary Queen of Scots), V. Rogers and A. Duncan (both of whom engraved Mary Queen of Scots and Her Secretary Chatelar), and U. Denis (Belinda at Her Toilette). Some of the engravings can be found at the National Portrait Gallery and the Courtauld Institute of Art
in London and the Bibliothèque Nationale
in Paris.
Manuscript letters by Fradelle to Baron Darnay, Mr and Mrs Ogle, and Mrs Herving are at the Princeton University Library
and at the Getty Research Institute
in Los Angeles.
In recent years, paintings by Fradelle have been sold by Lawsons (Sydney), Bonhams (London), Ritchies (Toronto), Christies (London) and Bart Wouters Kunsthandel (Brasschaat, Belgium), among others. The paintings concerned are Queen Elizabeth and Lady Paget; Interior Scene Depicting a Shakespearian Man Reciting Poetry to a Lady; Origin of Painting; Milton Dictating Paradise Lost to His Daughter; A Dance in La Campagna; Portrait of a Lady in a Blue Dress Playing the Harp, a Landscape Beyond; and Scene from Othello.
Life
Fradelle was born in LilleLille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
on 15 June 1778. His father was Joseph Guillaume Fradelle, a musician, and his mother was Adelaide Geneviève Valla, both from Paris. Fradelle studied under Joseph-Benoît Suvée
Joseph-Benoît Suvée
Joseph-Benoît Suvée was a Flemish painter strongly influenced by French neo-classicism.He was born in Bruges. Initially a pupil of Matthias de Visch, he came to France aged 19 and became a pupil of Jean-Jacques Bachelier. In 1771, he won the Prix de Rome...
at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
in Paris. He left for Italy in 1808 and lived there until 1816. He then moved to London, which became his home, apart from a few years spent in Paris between 1830 and 1837.
Over a period of about 30 years in England, Fradelle exhibited 36 pictures at the British Institution
British Institution
The British Institution was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it was also known as the Pall Mall Picture Galleries or the British Gallery...
, including The Cloister of the Carthusians at Rome Built by Michael Angelo; The Porch of St. Ambrose at Milan; Chatelar Playing the Lute to Mary Queen of Scots; Belinda at Her Toilette; The Earl of Leicester's Visit to Amy Robsart at Cumnor Place; Ivanhoe, Queen Elizabeth and Lady Paget; Origin of Painting; Souvenirs d'Italie—Il Sospiro, an Italian Dance; and Othello and Desdemona.
Fradelle also exhibited 11 works at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
Royal Academy summer exhibition
The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the summer months of June, July, and August...
, including Milton Dictating Paradise Lost to His Daughter, The Death of Adelaide, Othello Relating the Story of His Life to Brabantio and Desdemona, and Olivia and Viola. In addition, he presented works at the Royal Society of British Artists
Royal Society of British Artists
The Royal Society of British Artists is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy.-History:...
, the Old Water-Colour Society, and the Paris Salon, where he won a medal in 1834. Fradelle also painted and exhibited portraits, such as those of Mrs. Jeffery, Mr. Thomas H. Johnston, and Captain Basset, R.A., as well as miniature portraits like Miss Stephens as Susanna in Marriage of Figaro.
Fradelle died at 36 Weymouth Street, Portland Place, London, on 14 March 1865 and is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in Kensal Green, in the west of London, England. It was immortalised in the lines of G. K. Chesterton's poem The Rolling English Road from his book The Flying Inn: "For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen; Before we go to Paradise by way of...
. He was 86.
Works
Fradelle's works were bought by such notables as Lord Holland (Holland House), the Earl of Egremont (Petworth HousePetworth House
Petworth House in Petworth, West Sussex, England, is a late 17th-century mansion, rebuilt in 1688 by Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, and altered in the 1870s by Anthony Salvin...
), Lord Northwick, Wynn Ellis, J. Marshall of Leeds, and the Duke of Leuchtenberg of Munich. The Earl of Leicester's Visit to Amy Robsart at Cumnor Place is exhibited at Petworth House (the preparatory drawing for the latter is in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, London), and Fradelle's Othello Relating the Story of His Life to Brabantio and Desdemona is now part of the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
Collection in Stratford upon Avon. Drawings by Fradelle can be found at the Musée des Beaux-Arts
Musée des beaux-arts de Bordeaux
The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux is the fine arts museum of the city of Bordeaux, France. Established in 1801 it is one of the largest art galleries of France outside Paris. The museum is housed in a dependency of the Palais Rohan in central Bordeaux. Its collections regroup paintings,...
in Bordeaux, France.
Many of Fradelle's works were engraved by artists such as Charles Turner
Charles Turner (engraver)
Charles Turner was an English mezzotint engraver and draughtsman. Through his mother's influence he had access to the famous gallery at Blenheim Palace...
(for example, The Earl of Leicester's Visit to Amy Robsart at Cumnor Place), William Say (Queen Elizabeth and Lady Paget and Belinda at Her Toilette, as well as The Interview Between Lady Jane Grey and Dr. Roger Ascham), R. Smart (Princess Elizabeth at Woodstock), J. Jazet (Chatelar Playing the Lute to Mary Queen of Scots), V. Rogers and A. Duncan (both of whom engraved Mary Queen of Scots and Her Secretary Chatelar), and U. Denis (Belinda at Her Toilette). Some of the engravings can be found at the National Portrait Gallery and the Courtauld Institute of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The Courtauld is one of the premier centres for the teaching of art history in the world; it was the only History of Art department in the UK to be awarded a top...
in London and the Bibliothèque Nationale
Bibliothèque nationale de France
The is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
in Paris.
Manuscript letters by Fradelle to Baron Darnay, Mr and Mrs Ogle, and Mrs Herving are at the Princeton University Library
Princeton University Library
Princeton University Library is the main library system of Princeton University. With holdings of more than 7 million books, 6 million microforms, and 37,000 linear feet of manuscripts, it is headquartered in the Harvey S...
and at the Getty Research Institute
Getty Research Institute
The Getty Research Institute , located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, is "dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts". A program of the J...
in Los Angeles.
In recent years, paintings by Fradelle have been sold by Lawsons (Sydney), Bonhams (London), Ritchies (Toronto), Christies (London) and Bart Wouters Kunsthandel (Brasschaat, Belgium), among others. The paintings concerned are Queen Elizabeth and Lady Paget; Interior Scene Depicting a Shakespearian Man Reciting Poetry to a Lady; Origin of Painting; Milton Dictating Paradise Lost to His Daughter; A Dance in La Campagna; Portrait of a Lady in a Blue Dress Playing the Harp, a Landscape Beyond; and Scene from Othello.