Jean Preudhomme
Encyclopedia
Jean Preudhomme or Prudhomme (baptised on November 23, 1732 in Rolle
; buried on July 20, 1795 in La Neuveville
) was a Swiss painter. He was a contemporary of the Swiss painters Anton Graff
, Johann Jakob Schalch
, Angelica Kauffmann
, Jakob Emanuel Handmann
, Johann Caspar Füssli
and his son Johann Heinrich Füssli.
in Paris
. He was a landscapist and an animal painter
. However, his speciality was portrait painting
. In Switzerland
he was very popular with the landed gentry
and the patricians in Geneva
, Lausanne
, Neuchâtel and Berne
. In a Swiss publication, published between 1782 and 1786, he was described as a “portraitist à la mode”. Preudhomme's paintings, especially the portraits, are rare on the art market. His portrait of Franz Rudolf Frisching
is one of his best known paintings.
with his Physician Dr John Moore
and the latter's son John, with a view of Geneva
in the distance, is in the collection of the National Museums of Scotland
. On his Grand Tour the Duke and his companions stayed for two years in Geneva.
A portrait of a Lady is in the collection of the Musée Rath
.
Rolle
Rolle is a municipality in the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It was the seat of the district of Rolle until 2006, when it became part of the district of Nyon. It is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Geneva between Nyon and Lausanne...
; buried on July 20, 1795 in La Neuveville
La Neuveville
La Neuveville is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland, located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura .-Geography:...
) was a Swiss painter. He was a contemporary of the Swiss painters Anton Graff
Anton Graff
Anton Graff was an eminent Swiss portrait artist. Among his famous subjects were Friedrich Schiller, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Heinrich von Kleist, Frederick the Great, Johann Gottfried Herder and Christian Felix Weisse...
, Johann Jakob Schalch
Johann Jakob Schalch
Johann Jakob Schalch was a Swiss painter. He was a contemporary of the Swiss painters Anton Graff, Jean Preudhomme, Angelica Kauffmann, Jakob Emanuel Handmann, Johann Caspar Füssli. His son Johann Heinrich Füssli was also a noted painter.-History:Johann Jakob Schalch was born in Schaffhausen,...
, Angelica Kauffmann
Angelica Kauffmann
Maria Anna Angelika/Angelica Katharina Kauffman was a Swiss-Austrian Neoclassical painter. Kauffman is the preferred spelling of her name; it is the form she herself used most in signing her correspondence, documents and paintings.- Early years :She was born at Chur in Graubünden, Switzerland,...
, Jakob Emanuel Handmann
Jakob Emanuel Handmann
thumb|Portrait of Jakob Emanuel Handmann .Jakob Emanuel Handmann was a Swiss painter specialised in portrait painting...
, Johann Caspar Füssli
Johann Caspar Füssli
Johann Caspar Füssli was a Swiss portrait painter.He was born in Zurich to Hans Rudolf Füssli, who was also a painter, and Elisabeth Schärer....
and his son Johann Heinrich Füssli.
Life and work
Jean Preudhomme was a pupil of the well known painters Jean Baptiste Le Prince and Jean-Baptiste GreuzeJean-Baptiste Greuze
Jean-Baptiste Greuze was a French painter.-Early life:He was born at Tournus, Saône-et-Loire. He is generally said to have formed his own talent; this is, however, true only in the most limited sense, for at an early age his inclinations, though thwarted by his father, were encouraged by a...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He was a landscapist and an animal painter
Animal painter
An animal painter is an artist who specializes in or is known for their skill in the portrayal of animals, essentially up to about 1900. During the last century "wildlife artist" became the preferred term for contemporary animal painters....
. However, his speciality was portrait painting
Portrait painting
Portrait painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to depict the visual appearance of the subject. Beside human beings, animals, pets and even inanimate objects can be chosen as the subject for a portrait...
. In Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
he was very popular with the landed gentry
Landed gentry
Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
and the patricians in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Neuchâtel and Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
. In a Swiss publication, published between 1782 and 1786, he was described as a “portraitist à la mode”. Preudhomme's paintings, especially the portraits, are rare on the art market. His portrait of Franz Rudolf Frisching
Franz Rudolf Frisching
thumb|Franz Rudolf Frisching in the uniform of an officer of the [[Bernese]] Huntsmen Corps with his [[Berner Laufhund]], painted by [[Jean Preudhomme]] in 1785...
is one of his best known paintings.
Paintings in public collections
Preudhomme's portrait of Douglas, 8th Duke of Hamilton, on his Grand TourGrand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
with his Physician Dr John Moore
John Moore (Scottish physician)
John Moore was a Scottish physician and writer.He was born at Stirling, the son of a clergyman. After taking his medical degree at Glasgow, he served with the army in Flanders during the Seven Years' War, then proceeded to London to continue his studies, and eventually to Paris, where he was...
and the latter's son John, with a view of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in the distance, is in the collection of the National Museums of Scotland
National Museums of Scotland
National Museums Scotland is the organization that runs several national museums of Scotland. It is one of the country's National Collections, and holds internationally important collections of natural sciences, decorative arts, world cultures, science and technology, and Scottish history and...
. On his Grand Tour the Duke and his companions stayed for two years in Geneva.
A portrait of a Lady is in the collection of the Musée Rath
Musée Rath
The Musée Rath is an art museum in Geneva, used exclusively for temporary exhibitions. It is the oldest purpose-built art museum in Switzerland....
.
External links
- Portrait of Douglas, 8th Duke of Hamilton, and his companions during their stay in Geneva. Painted by Jean Preudhomme in 1774