Lot 991: Jean-Joseph Vaudechamp (French, 1790-1864, Active

Jean-Joseph Vaudechamp (French, 1790-1864, Active New Orleans 1831-1839) "Portrait of Two Children", 46" x 35-1/4", signed and dated upper left: "Vaudechamp/ 1841". Presented in its original giltwood exhibition frame. Note: Jean- Joseph Vaudechamp was born in Rambervillers, France on December 20, 1790. As outlined in the recently published book Vaudechamp in New Orleans by William Keyse Rudolph, Vaudechamp moved to Paris as a child and lived with his aunt and her husband, the well-known poet Jacques Delilles. With Delilles' influence, Vaudechamp won entry into the E'cole des Beaux-Arts and the studio of Anne-Louis Girodet-Trison. Records indicate that Vaudechamp thrived in Girodet's studio and exhibited his works at the Salon from 1819 to 1848. He was married twice and died in August 1864. According to the author, the record is incomplete. "Missing is an extraordinary chapter in the story of Vaudechamp's career - and the story of the New Orleans art scene". The year is 1832. "The city's economy is thriving, its boundaries and population expanding - local Creoles find themselves steadily losing cultural, political, legal, economic, and geographical dominance. The stage is set for the arrival of an artist whose work will captivate and help revitalize the city's Creole community." In the 1830's Vaudechamp would spend his winters in Louisiana, and soon became established as the region's leading portrait artist. He was considered "quite simply" the most educated artist to have worked in New Orleans. Jean-Joseph Vaudechamp remains one of New Orleans' most beloved and celebrated artists. His works are represented in the collections of the Louisiana State Museum; The New Orleans Museum of Art; The Musee du Louvre, Paris; The Musee d'Art et Histoire, Cholet, France; The Hermann-Grima House, New Orleans; The Historic New Orleans Collection; as well as many private collections to name a few. For further discussions of the extraordinary career of Jean-Joseph Vaudechamp, see Vaudechamp in New Orleans by William Keyse Rudolph, 2007.