60
Louis Robert Heyrauld and Dominique Adolphe Grenet de Joigny
1/3
Description
Les Champs-Elysées
Alfred De Dreux
1810 - 1860
Lady Alice and Lady Blanche Egerton with three dogs
Oil on canvas
101,2 x 145,1 cm ; 39⅞ by 57⅛ in.
____________________________________________
Alfred De Dreux
1810 - 1860
Lady Alice et Lady Blanche Egerton avec trois chiens
Huile sur toile
101,2 x 145,1 cm ; 39⅞ by 57⅛ in.
Provenance
Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere, Worsley Hall, Lancashire
Sale of the Earl of Ellesmere, Christie's Manson and Woods, London, 18 October 1946, lot 10 (sold for 441 guineas to Marshall Spink)
With Tooth Gallery, London (as per Marie-Christine Renauld, 2008)
With Wildenstein & Co. Inc., New York
Where acquired, 9 June 1955
Anonymous sale, Christie's, New York, 1 June 2001, lot 77
With Richard Green, London
Where acquired by Monsieur Hubert Guerrand-Hermès, 2011
____________________________________________
Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere, Worsley Hall, Lancashire
Vente du Earl of Ellesmere, Christie's Manson and Woods, Londres, 18 octobre 1946, lot 10 (vendu 441 guineas à Marshall Spink)
Galerie Tooth, Londres (selon Marie-Christine Renauld, 2008)
Galerie Wildenstein & Co. Inc., New York
Où acquis le 9 juin 1955
Vente anonyme, Christie's, New York, 1er juin 2001, lot 77
Galerie Richard Green, Londres
Où acquis par Monsieur Hubert Guerrand-Hermès, 2011
Literature
Santa Barbara News-Press, 11 July 1954
M.-C. Renauld, Alfred de Dreux : Le cheval, passion d'un dandy parisien, Paris 1997, p. 98, repr., and p. 163
M.-C. Renauld, L'univers d'Alfred De Dreux 1810-1860, suivi du catalogue raisonné, Arles 2008, p. 15, inv. McR 47
____________________________________________
Santa Barbara News-Press, 11 juillet 1954
M.-C. Renauld, Alfred de Dreux : Le cheval, passion d'un dandy parisien, Paris, 1997, p. 98, repr., et p. 163
M.-C. Renauld, L'univers d'Alfred De Dreux 1810-1860, suivi du catalogue raisonné, Arles, 2008, p. 15, inv. McR 47
Exhibited
London, Royal Academy of Arts, 1850, no. 577
Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Museum of Art ; San Francisco, The California Palace of the Legion of Honor ; Kansas City, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, The Horse in Art, July-November 1954, no. 30
____________________________________________
Londres, Royal Academy of Arts, 1850, n° 577
Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Museum of Art ; San Francisco, The California Palace of the Legion of Honor ; Kansas City, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, The Horse in Art, juillet-novembre 1954, n° 30
Catalogue note
Alfred De Dreux was one of the most refined artists of his generation. His uncle, the painter Pierre-Joseph Dedreux-Dorcy, was close to Géricault and often took his nephew to visit the studio belonging to the author of the famous 1821 Derby before his premature death in 1824, when Léon Cogniet took over the studio. It was in fact to Cogniet that De Dreux was apprenticed. Undoubtedly influenced by Géricault’s naturalistic and modern approach to the equestrian world, De Dreux’s preferred subject was horses. Born into an affluent family, son of an architect, De Dreux had easy access to his chosen subject to hone his skills. At the age of twenty-one, he exhibited for the first time at the 1831 Salon de Paris and his work quickly charmed many connoisseurs in France as well as in England. De Dreux’s confidence and ability grew rapidly as he developed his own style to rival his counterparts Degas, Géricault, Stubbs and Vernet. He became sought after as a portraitist during the July Monarchy, often portraying his elegant models – as in the present painting – on horseback in landscapes, accompanied by their favourite dogs. In the 1840s, De Dreux was admired by the French royal family and in 1842, the French State commissioned him to paint the Equestrian portrait of Duc Ferdinand d'Orléans (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux, Bx E 73), which was shown at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1844. That same year, he travelled to England to paint Louis-Phillipe’s visit to Queen Victoria at Windsor. The print made by Eugène Ciceri, after this painting, was widely disseminated and contributed to the artist’s popularity.
It is therefore no surprise that Francis Egerton turned to him for the portrait of his two daughters Lady Alice and Lady Blanche Egerton. The models’ father, the first Earl of Ellesmere (1800-1857), had five sons and two daughters with his wife, Harriet Catherine, eldest daughter of Charles Greville, third Duke of Portland. On 25 July 1854, Lady Alice married George Henry, third Earl of Strafford, while on 27 December 1865 Lady Blanche married John William, seventh Earl of Sandwich. Francis Egerton, who commissioned the portrait, had inherited a large fortune and was a statesman and respected poet, educated at Eton and Oxford. A captain in the South Staffordshire Yeomanry, he became member of parliament for Bletchingley in Surrey from 1822 to 1826; for Sutherland, in 1826 and 1831; and for South Lancashire, in 1835 and 1837, and from 1841 to 1846. He was also appointed to various other posts, notably privy councillor of Ireland in 1828 and Secretary at War in 1830. In 1846, he became Viscount Brackley and Earl of Ellesmere. From 1837 to 1843, he built Worsley Hall, a great manor in the Elizabethan style designed by Edward Blore, near Manchester, where this painting surely had pride of place.
In the year that our delightful double portrait was painted, De Dreux also produced portraits of King Louis-Philippe’s grandsons, The Duc de Chartres and the Comte de Paris in Scottish costume (Sotheby’s New York, 2 February 2019, lot 797). After Louis-Philippe’s abdication from the French throne in 1848, De Dreux had followed the exiled Orléans family to Surrey in England, where he worked for Henri d'Orléans, Duc d'Aumale – the uncle of the two princes – from 1850 to 1852. De Dreux probably executed the two paintings at the same time: the portrait of the two Egerton sisters has the same charisma and elegance as that of the two brothers, but the boys’ mischievous qualities are replaced by the young women’s youthful charm.
This magnificent and captivating double equestrian portrait was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1850. Many visitors were able to admire De Dreux’s talent for realistically rendering the anatomy of the horses and dogs, his luminous palette and his skill in evoking the elegant charm of his models. This marvellous painting, which brings together all the artist’s abilities, is undoubtedly one of his masterpieces; it helped to make De Dreux one of the most important equestrian painters of his age.
____________________________________________
Alfred De Dreux est l’un des peintres les plus élégants de sa génération. Son oncle, le peintre Pierre-Joseph Dedreux-Dorcy, proche de Géricault, l’emmène souvent visiter l’atelier de l’auteur du célèbre Derby de 1821 avant son décès prématuré en 1824 et la reprise de son atelier par Léon Cogniet. C’est d’ailleurs auprès de ce dernier que De Dreux fait son apprentissage. Sûrement marqué par l’approche naturaliste et moderne de Géricault du monde équestre, il fait des chevaux son sujet de
Alfred De Dreux
1810 - 1860
Lady Alice and Lady Blanche Egerton with three dogs
Oil on canvas
101,2 x 145,1 cm ; 39⅞ by 57⅛ in.
____________________________________________
Alfred De Dreux
1810 - 1860
Lady Alice et Lady Blanche Egerton avec trois chiens
Huile sur toile
101,2 x 145,1 cm ; 39⅞ by 57⅛ in.
Provenance
Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere, Worsley Hall, Lancashire
Sale of the Earl of Ellesmere, Christie's Manson and Woods, London, 18 October 1946, lot 10 (sold for 441 guineas to Marshall Spink)
With Tooth Gallery, London (as per Marie-Christine Renauld, 2008)
With Wildenstein & Co. Inc., New York
Where acquired, 9 June 1955
Anonymous sale, Christie's, New York, 1 June 2001, lot 77
With Richard Green, London
Where acquired by Monsieur Hubert Guerrand-Hermès, 2011
____________________________________________
Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere, Worsley Hall, Lancashire
Vente du Earl of Ellesmere, Christie's Manson and Woods, Londres, 18 octobre 1946, lot 10 (vendu 441 guineas à Marshall Spink)
Galerie Tooth, Londres (selon Marie-Christine Renauld, 2008)
Galerie Wildenstein & Co. Inc., New York
Où acquis le 9 juin 1955
Vente anonyme, Christie's, New York, 1er juin 2001, lot 77
Galerie Richard Green, Londres
Où acquis par Monsieur Hubert Guerrand-Hermès, 2011
Literature
Santa Barbara News-Press, 11 July 1954
M.-C. Renauld, Alfred de Dreux : Le cheval, passion d'un dandy parisien, Paris 1997, p. 98, repr., and p. 163
M.-C. Renauld, L'univers d'Alfred De Dreux 1810-1860, suivi du catalogue raisonné, Arles 2008, p. 15, inv. McR 47
____________________________________________
Santa Barbara News-Press, 11 juillet 1954
M.-C. Renauld, Alfred de Dreux : Le cheval, passion d'un dandy parisien, Paris, 1997, p. 98, repr., et p. 163
M.-C. Renauld, L'univers d'Alfred De Dreux 1810-1860, suivi du catalogue raisonné, Arles, 2008, p. 15, inv. McR 47
Exhibited
London, Royal Academy of Arts, 1850, no. 577
Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Museum of Art ; San Francisco, The California Palace of the Legion of Honor ; Kansas City, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, The Horse in Art, July-November 1954, no. 30
____________________________________________
Londres, Royal Academy of Arts, 1850, n° 577
Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Museum of Art ; San Francisco, The California Palace of the Legion of Honor ; Kansas City, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, The Horse in Art, juillet-novembre 1954, n° 30
Catalogue note
Alfred De Dreux was one of the most refined artists of his generation. His uncle, the painter Pierre-Joseph Dedreux-Dorcy, was close to Géricault and often took his nephew to visit the studio belonging to the author of the famous 1821 Derby before his premature death in 1824, when Léon Cogniet took over the studio. It was in fact to Cogniet that De Dreux was apprenticed. Undoubtedly influenced by Géricault’s naturalistic and modern approach to the equestrian world, De Dreux’s preferred subject was horses. Born into an affluent family, son of an architect, De Dreux had easy access to his chosen subject to hone his skills. At the age of twenty-one, he exhibited for the first time at the 1831 Salon de Paris and his work quickly charmed many connoisseurs in France as well as in England. De Dreux’s confidence and ability grew rapidly as he developed his own style to rival his counterparts Degas, Géricault, Stubbs and Vernet. He became sought after as a portraitist during the July Monarchy, often portraying his elegant models – as in the present painting – on horseback in landscapes, accompanied by their favourite dogs. In the 1840s, De Dreux was admired by the French royal family and in 1842, the French State commissioned him to paint the Equestrian portrait of Duc Ferdinand d'Orléans (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux, Bx E 73), which was shown at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1844. That same year, he travelled to England to paint Louis-Phillipe’s visit to Queen Victoria at Windsor. The print made by Eugène Ciceri, after this painting, was widely disseminated and contributed to the artist’s popularity.
It is therefore no surprise that Francis Egerton turned to him for the portrait of his two daughters Lady Alice and Lady Blanche Egerton. The models’ father, the first Earl of Ellesmere (1800-1857), had five sons and two daughters with his wife, Harriet Catherine, eldest daughter of Charles Greville, third Duke of Portland. On 25 July 1854, Lady Alice married George Henry, third Earl of Strafford, while on 27 December 1865 Lady Blanche married John William, seventh Earl of Sandwich. Francis Egerton, who commissioned the portrait, had inherited a large fortune and was a statesman and respected poet, educated at Eton and Oxford. A captain in the South Staffordshire Yeomanry, he became member of parliament for Bletchingley in Surrey from 1822 to 1826; for Sutherland, in 1826 and 1831; and for South Lancashire, in 1835 and 1837, and from 1841 to 1846. He was also appointed to various other posts, notably privy councillor of Ireland in 1828 and Secretary at War in 1830. In 1846, he became Viscount Brackley and Earl of Ellesmere. From 1837 to 1843, he built Worsley Hall, a great manor in the Elizabethan style designed by Edward Blore, near Manchester, where this painting surely had pride of place.
In the year that our delightful double portrait was painted, De Dreux also produced portraits of King Louis-Philippe’s grandsons, The Duc de Chartres and the Comte de Paris in Scottish costume (Sotheby’s New York, 2 February 2019, lot 797). After Louis-Philippe’s abdication from the French throne in 1848, De Dreux had followed the exiled Orléans family to Surrey in England, where he worked for Henri d'Orléans, Duc d'Aumale – the uncle of the two princes – from 1850 to 1852. De Dreux probably executed the two paintings at the same time: the portrait of the two Egerton sisters has the same charisma and elegance as that of the two brothers, but the boys’ mischievous qualities are replaced by the young women’s youthful charm.
This magnificent and captivating double equestrian portrait was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1850. Many visitors were able to admire De Dreux’s talent for realistically rendering the anatomy of the horses and dogs, his luminous palette and his skill in evoking the elegant charm of his models. This marvellous painting, which brings together all the artist’s abilities, is undoubtedly one of his masterpieces; it helped to make De Dreux one of the most important equestrian painters of his age.
____________________________________________
Alfred De Dreux est l’un des peintres les plus élégants de sa génération. Son oncle, le peintre Pierre-Joseph Dedreux-Dorcy, proche de Géricault, l’emmène souvent visiter l’atelier de l’auteur du célèbre Derby de 1821 avant son décès prématuré en 1824 et la reprise de son atelier par Léon Cogniet. C’est d’ailleurs auprès de ce dernier que De Dreux fait son apprentissage. Sûrement marqué par l’approche naturaliste et moderne de Géricault du monde équestre, il fait des chevaux son sujet de
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Les Champs-Elysées
Alfred De Dreux
1810 - 1860
Lady Alice and Lady Blanche Egerton with three dogs
Oil on canvas
101,2 x 145,1 cm ; 39⅞ by 57⅛ in.
____________________________________________
Alfred De Dreux
1810 - 1860
Lady Alice et Lady Blanche Egerton avec trois chiens
Huile sur toile
101,2 x 145,1 cm ; 39⅞ by 57⅛ in.
Provenance
Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere, Worsley Hall, Lancashire
Sale of the Earl of Ellesmere, Christie's Manson and Woods, London, 18 October 1946, lot 10 (sold for 441 guineas to Marshall Spink)
With Tooth Gallery, London (as per Marie-Christine Renauld, 2008)
With Wildenstein & Co. Inc., New York
Where acquired, 9 June 1955
Anonymous sale, Christie's, New York, 1 June 2001, lot 77
With Richard Green, London
Where acquired by Monsieur Hubert Guerrand-Hermès, 2011
____________________________________________
Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere, Worsley Hall, Lancashire
Vente du Earl of Ellesmere, Christie's Manson and Woods, Londres, 18 octobre 1946, lot 10 (vendu 441 guineas à Marshall Spink)
Galerie Tooth, Londres (selon Marie-Christine Renauld, 2008)
Galerie Wildenstein & Co. Inc., New York
Où acquis le 9 juin 1955
Vente anonyme, Christie's, New York, 1er juin 2001, lot 77
Galerie Richard Green, Londres
Où acquis par Monsieur Hubert Guerrand-Hermès, 2011
Literature
Santa Barbara News-Press, 11 July 1954
M.-C. Renauld, Alfred de Dreux : Le cheval, passion d'un dandy parisien, Paris 1997, p. 98, repr., and p. 163
M.-C. Renauld, L'univers d'Alfred De Dreux 1810-1860, suivi du catalogue raisonné, Arles 2008, p. 15, inv. McR 47
____________________________________________
Santa Barbara News-Press, 11 juillet 1954
M.-C. Renauld, Alfred de Dreux : Le cheval, passion d'un dandy parisien, Paris, 1997, p. 98, repr., et p. 163
M.-C. Renauld, L'univers d'Alfred De Dreux 1810-1860, suivi du catalogue raisonné, Arles, 2008, p. 15, inv. McR 47
Exhibited
London, Royal Academy of Arts, 1850, no. 577
Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Museum of Art ; San Francisco, The California Palace of the Legion of Honor ; Kansas City, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, The Horse in Art, July-November 1954, no. 30
____________________________________________
Londres, Royal Academy of Arts, 1850, n° 577
Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Museum of Art ; San Francisco, The California Palace of the Legion of Honor ; Kansas City, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, The Horse in Art, juillet-novembre 1954, n° 30
Catalogue note
Alfred De Dreux was one of the most refined artists of his generation. His uncle, the painter Pierre-Joseph Dedreux-Dorcy, was close to Géricault and often took his nephew to visit the studio belonging to the author of the famous 1821 Derby before his premature death in 1824, when Léon Cogniet took over the studio. It was in fact to Cogniet that De Dreux was apprenticed. Undoubtedly influenced by Géricault’s naturalistic and modern approach to the equestrian world, De Dreux’s preferred subject was horses. Born into an affluent family, son of an architect, De Dreux had easy access to his chosen subject to hone his skills. At the age of twenty-one, he exhibited for the first time at the 1831 Salon de Paris and his work quickly charmed many connoisseurs in France as well as in England. De Dreux’s confidence and ability grew rapidly as he developed his own style to rival his counterparts Degas, Géricault, Stubbs and Vernet. He became sought after as a portraitist during the July Monarchy, often portraying his elegant models – as in the present painting – on horseback in landscapes, accompanied by their favourite dogs. In the 1840s, De Dreux was admired by the French royal family and in 1842, the French State commissioned him to paint the Equestrian portrait of Duc Ferdinand d'Orléans (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux, Bx E 73), which was shown at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1844. That same year, he travelled to England to paint Louis-Phillipe’s visit to Queen Victoria at Windsor. The print made by Eugène Ciceri, after this painting, was widely disseminated and contributed to the artist’s popularity.
It is therefore no surprise that Francis Egerton turned to him for the portrait of his two daughters Lady Alice and Lady Blanche Egerton. The models’ father, the first Earl of Ellesmere (1800-1857), had five sons and two daughters with his wife, Harriet Catherine, eldest daughter of Charles Greville, third Duke of Portland. On 25 July 1854, Lady Alice married George Henry, third Earl of Strafford, while on 27 December 1865 Lady Blanche married John William, seventh Earl of Sandwich. Francis Egerton, who commissioned the portrait, had inherited a large fortune and was a statesman and respected poet, educated at Eton and Oxford. A captain in the South Staffordshire Yeomanry, he became member of parliament for Bletchingley in Surrey from 1822 to 1826; for Sutherland, in 1826 and 1831; and for South Lancashire, in 1835 and 1837, and from 1841 to 1846. He was also appointed to various other posts, notably privy councillor of Ireland in 1828 and Secretary at War in 1830. In 1846, he became Viscount Brackley and Earl of Ellesmere. From 1837 to 1843, he built Worsley Hall, a great manor in the Elizabethan style designed by Edward Blore, near Manchester, where this painting surely had pride of place.
In the year that our delightful double portrait was painted, De Dreux also produced portraits of King Louis-Philippe’s grandsons, The Duc de Chartres and the Comte de Paris in Scottish costume (Sotheby’s New York, 2 February 2019, lot 797). After Louis-Philippe’s abdication from the French throne in 1848, De Dreux had followed the exiled Orléans family to Surrey in England, where he worked for Henri d'Orléans, Duc d'Aumale – the uncle of the two princes – from 1850 to 1852. De Dreux probably executed the two paintings at the same time: the portrait of the two Egerton sisters has the same charisma and elegance as that of the two brothers, but the boys’ mischievous qualities are replaced by the young women’s youthful charm.
This magnificent and captivating double equestrian portrait was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1850. Many visitors were able to admire De Dreux’s talent for realistically rendering the anatomy of the horses and dogs, his luminous palette and his skill in evoking the elegant charm of his models. This marvellous painting, which brings together all the artist’s abilities, is undoubtedly one of his masterpieces; it helped to make De Dreux one of the most important equestrian painters of his age.
____________________________________________
Alfred De Dreux est l’un des peintres les plus élégants de sa génération. Son oncle, le peintre Pierre-Joseph Dedreux-Dorcy, proche de Géricault, l’emmène souvent visiter l’atelier de l’auteur du célèbre Derby de 1821 avant son décès prématuré en 1824 et la reprise de son atelier par Léon Cogniet. C’est d’ailleurs auprès de ce dernier que De Dreux fait son apprentissage. Sûrement marqué par l’approche naturaliste et moderne de Géricault du monde équestre, il fait des chevaux son sujet de
Alfred De Dreux
1810 - 1860
Lady Alice and Lady Blanche Egerton with three dogs
Oil on canvas
101,2 x 145,1 cm ; 39⅞ by 57⅛ in.
____________________________________________
Alfred De Dreux
1810 - 1860
Lady Alice et Lady Blanche Egerton avec trois chiens
Huile sur toile
101,2 x 145,1 cm ; 39⅞ by 57⅛ in.
Provenance
Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere, Worsley Hall, Lancashire
Sale of the Earl of Ellesmere, Christie's Manson and Woods, London, 18 October 1946, lot 10 (sold for 441 guineas to Marshall Spink)
With Tooth Gallery, London (as per Marie-Christine Renauld, 2008)
With Wildenstein & Co. Inc., New York
Where acquired, 9 June 1955
Anonymous sale, Christie's, New York, 1 June 2001, lot 77
With Richard Green, London
Where acquired by Monsieur Hubert Guerrand-Hermès, 2011
____________________________________________
Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere, Worsley Hall, Lancashire
Vente du Earl of Ellesmere, Christie's Manson and Woods, Londres, 18 octobre 1946, lot 10 (vendu 441 guineas à Marshall Spink)
Galerie Tooth, Londres (selon Marie-Christine Renauld, 2008)
Galerie Wildenstein & Co. Inc., New York
Où acquis le 9 juin 1955
Vente anonyme, Christie's, New York, 1er juin 2001, lot 77
Galerie Richard Green, Londres
Où acquis par Monsieur Hubert Guerrand-Hermès, 2011
Literature
Santa Barbara News-Press, 11 July 1954
M.-C. Renauld, Alfred de Dreux : Le cheval, passion d'un dandy parisien, Paris 1997, p. 98, repr., and p. 163
M.-C. Renauld, L'univers d'Alfred De Dreux 1810-1860, suivi du catalogue raisonné, Arles 2008, p. 15, inv. McR 47
____________________________________________
Santa Barbara News-Press, 11 juillet 1954
M.-C. Renauld, Alfred de Dreux : Le cheval, passion d'un dandy parisien, Paris, 1997, p. 98, repr., et p. 163
M.-C. Renauld, L'univers d'Alfred De Dreux 1810-1860, suivi du catalogue raisonné, Arles, 2008, p. 15, inv. McR 47
Exhibited
London, Royal Academy of Arts, 1850, no. 577
Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Museum of Art ; San Francisco, The California Palace of the Legion of Honor ; Kansas City, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, The Horse in Art, July-November 1954, no. 30
____________________________________________
Londres, Royal Academy of Arts, 1850, n° 577
Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Museum of Art ; San Francisco, The California Palace of the Legion of Honor ; Kansas City, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, The Horse in Art, juillet-novembre 1954, n° 30
Catalogue note
Alfred De Dreux was one of the most refined artists of his generation. His uncle, the painter Pierre-Joseph Dedreux-Dorcy, was close to Géricault and often took his nephew to visit the studio belonging to the author of the famous 1821 Derby before his premature death in 1824, when Léon Cogniet took over the studio. It was in fact to Cogniet that De Dreux was apprenticed. Undoubtedly influenced by Géricault’s naturalistic and modern approach to the equestrian world, De Dreux’s preferred subject was horses. Born into an affluent family, son of an architect, De Dreux had easy access to his chosen subject to hone his skills. At the age of twenty-one, he exhibited for the first time at the 1831 Salon de Paris and his work quickly charmed many connoisseurs in France as well as in England. De Dreux’s confidence and ability grew rapidly as he developed his own style to rival his counterparts Degas, Géricault, Stubbs and Vernet. He became sought after as a portraitist during the July Monarchy, often portraying his elegant models – as in the present painting – on horseback in landscapes, accompanied by their favourite dogs. In the 1840s, De Dreux was admired by the French royal family and in 1842, the French State commissioned him to paint the Equestrian portrait of Duc Ferdinand d'Orléans (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux, Bx E 73), which was shown at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1844. That same year, he travelled to England to paint Louis-Phillipe’s visit to Queen Victoria at Windsor. The print made by Eugène Ciceri, after this painting, was widely disseminated and contributed to the artist’s popularity.
It is therefore no surprise that Francis Egerton turned to him for the portrait of his two daughters Lady Alice and Lady Blanche Egerton. The models’ father, the first Earl of Ellesmere (1800-1857), had five sons and two daughters with his wife, Harriet Catherine, eldest daughter of Charles Greville, third Duke of Portland. On 25 July 1854, Lady Alice married George Henry, third Earl of Strafford, while on 27 December 1865 Lady Blanche married John William, seventh Earl of Sandwich. Francis Egerton, who commissioned the portrait, had inherited a large fortune and was a statesman and respected poet, educated at Eton and Oxford. A captain in the South Staffordshire Yeomanry, he became member of parliament for Bletchingley in Surrey from 1822 to 1826; for Sutherland, in 1826 and 1831; and for South Lancashire, in 1835 and 1837, and from 1841 to 1846. He was also appointed to various other posts, notably privy councillor of Ireland in 1828 and Secretary at War in 1830. In 1846, he became Viscount Brackley and Earl of Ellesmere. From 1837 to 1843, he built Worsley Hall, a great manor in the Elizabethan style designed by Edward Blore, near Manchester, where this painting surely had pride of place.
In the year that our delightful double portrait was painted, De Dreux also produced portraits of King Louis-Philippe’s grandsons, The Duc de Chartres and the Comte de Paris in Scottish costume (Sotheby’s New York, 2 February 2019, lot 797). After Louis-Philippe’s abdication from the French throne in 1848, De Dreux had followed the exiled Orléans family to Surrey in England, where he worked for Henri d'Orléans, Duc d'Aumale – the uncle of the two princes – from 1850 to 1852. De Dreux probably executed the two paintings at the same time: the portrait of the two Egerton sisters has the same charisma and elegance as that of the two brothers, but the boys’ mischievous qualities are replaced by the young women’s youthful charm.
This magnificent and captivating double equestrian portrait was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1850. Many visitors were able to admire De Dreux’s talent for realistically rendering the anatomy of the horses and dogs, his luminous palette and his skill in evoking the elegant charm of his models. This marvellous painting, which brings together all the artist’s abilities, is undoubtedly one of his masterpieces; it helped to make De Dreux one of the most important equestrian painters of his age.
____________________________________________
Alfred De Dreux est l’un des peintres les plus élégants de sa génération. Son oncle, le peintre Pierre-Joseph Dedreux-Dorcy, proche de Géricault, l’emmène souvent visiter l’atelier de l’auteur du célèbre Derby de 1821 avant son décès prématuré en 1824 et la reprise de son atelier par Léon Cogniet. C’est d’ailleurs auprès de ce dernier que De Dreux fait son apprentissage. Sûrement marqué par l’approche naturaliste et moderne de Géricault du monde équestre, il fait des chevaux son sujet de
Collection Hubert Guerrand-Hermès, Vente du Soir
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United Kingdom
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