Jean Augustin Franquelin (1798-1839), Maternal Tenderness

Jean Augustin Franquelin (1798-1839) Maternal tenderness Oil on panel signed on the curule stool Dimension: 51 x 40 cm Period frame in wood and gilded stucco The painter offers us a beautiful illustration of an interior typical of the early 19th century representing an intimate moment between a mother and her daughter. The child is holding papers in his hands, perhaps his mother is reading to him. The gentle and attentive look of the child leaning on his mother who delicately puts her index finger to her mouth testifies to this reciprocal tenderness. The clothes, the shawl, the coral ornaments, the fur, the furniture and the decorative objects prove to us that we are in a beautiful bourgeois interior. This theme of maternal tenderness appears in the mid-18th century in a period of enthusiasm for "nature", of philosophical questioning about Society and education. Rousseau in Emile will place the child's sensitive experience at the heart of his reflection. The emotion that we have until now sought to hide will become more present throughout society. Scenes of breastfeeding will appear in reverse painting of what happens in society where children were placed with wet nurses. An idea that went so far as to touch Queen Marie Antoinette, who admitted to maintaining a daily closeness with her children in contradiction with etiquette. Our painting is the accomplishment of this social evolution. Biography: Jean-Augustin Franquelin was born on September 1, 1798 in Paris into a poorly-off family. At a very young age he joined Regnault's workshop, after a few years of hard work he entered the Prix de Rome. Quite early on he created large formats which he sent to the salon, he exhibited there from 1819 to 1839. He was rewarded with a second class gold medal in 1827. It was only around 1824 that the artist began to make easel paintings which he produced in large numbers and which became renowned for their remarkable compositions, their firmness and their design. Unfortunately, he died prematurely at the age of 41. His works can be found in several museums such as the Louvre, Grenoble, the Brou museum…