Michel Ghislain Stapleaux Portrait of Desdemona
An original 1832 watercolour painting, Michel Ghislain Stapleaux, Portrait of Desdemona.
This exquisite painting in watercolour is a fine example of Neoclassical portraiture. Michel Ghislain Stapleaux (1799–1881) studied under the pre preeminent French Neoclassical painter Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825) and was his last assistant during his years of exile in Brussels. Stapleaux also completed a number of portraits of the Bonaparte family.
This sumptuous image is artfully structured and rich with iconography. The theatrical balcony staging immediately suggests a character from literature—a beautiful heroine, forlorn and star-crossed, sited dramatically against a stormy, moonlight backdrop in pathetic fallacy. The character appears to be Othello's Desdemona, who is often depicted with a harp, likely influenced by Rossini's operatic version, Otello. The architecture to the right indicates a location of Venice, represented by the winged Venetian lion of St Mark.
Provenance: from a Victorian album of exceptional quality, previously uncatalogued.
In watercolour with gum arabic and touches of gold paint.
Dimensions: Height: 29.9cm (11.77") Width: 26.5cm (10.43")
Presented: Unframed.
Medium: Watercolour
Age: Early 19th-century
Signed: Signed lower left.
Inscribed: No.
Dated: Dated lower left.
Condition: In very good, bright condition. There are a small number of tiny imperfections within the sky area at the upper left and a pinhole to the upper left corner. Very slight crease to the paper towards the lower left corner. Slight age toning and a small amount of faint foxing visible on the verso. There are historic adhesive marks and/or paper remnants to the corners on the verso, from previous mounting. Please see photos for detail.
Stock number: KB-317
