ROBERT JACQUES FRANÇOIS LEFÈVRE | Portrait of the General Baron Solignac and his daughter Caroline Portrait of Baroness Solignac and her elder son Camille

Henry Lachouque La vie militaire du général baron Solignac (1773-1850).

For both paintings : Very good overall condition. They are in their original frame. Both are dirty and would benefit from a cleaning. The canvas is slightly loose. The photographs are slightly less red than in the catalogue illustration. The wife : Small lack on the sofa. The varnish has thickened by places. A lack on the lower left, visible in the catalogue illustration. Some lifts scattered on the surface. By places, a pattern of craquelures is visible on the canvas. On the woman's left arm, and in the darker part, on the left of the drapery, we notice a thin pattern of tighter craquelures. Under UV light, some places are fluorescent, which seem to be dirt or small repaints. Some scattered retouches on the surface. The husband : Some small retouches scattered on the surface. The canvas slightly warps, mainly on the edges. Small hole on the left edge, along the frame. Small tear and small lack at the child's feet. A number of lacks along the edge, due to rubbing with the frame. Under UV light : some small retouches on the man's cheek and collar. Thin scratch retouched on the left part of his forehead. Some traces are fluorescent, probably due to dirt or old retouches.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Jean-Baptiste Solignac was born in Millau in 1773. He began his very successful military career in 1791. He fought in the Italian army, distinguished himself at the siege of Danzig and at the Battle of Vimeiro (Portugal) and then in Spain. He was appointed Brigadier General in 1799 and Division General in 1808. In 1809, he became Baron of the Empire. His name appears among those of the 660 heroes of the Revolution and the Empire engraved on the pillars of the Arc de Triomphe. His wife Madeleine-Sophie Chamiot-Aventurier was Marshal Jourdan's niece, the famous hero of the Revolutionary and Empire Wars. According to Commandant Henri Lachouque, author of La vie militaire du général Baron Solignac (1773-1850), Robert Lefèvre painted the portrait of Baroness Solignac and her eldest son while she was staying in Paris in 1809. Lefèvre was then at the height of his fame, having painted 'Madame Mère', Napoleon's mother, in 1806, as well as his sister Princess Pauline Borghese. The high quality of the present painting reflects Lefèvre's talent as a portrait painter. The portrait of the Baron, General Solignac, with his eldest daughter, is later. Henri Lachouque dates it to 1815, when the Baron had just been removed from active service. The painting's quality is less consistent than in the portrait of his wife, and was probably painted by Lefèvre and his workshop.