Marine – Noël Jules – Boats In Port – Pencil Drawing – Circa 1847

Pencil drawing representing a scene as if taken from life in a port, possibly Breton.
In the foreground, we see a fishing boat. 2 fishermen stand at each end of the boat. The sails are lowered. The boat is reflected in the calm water.
Further away, here are 2 much larger boats. The furthest one is still under sail.
Linking the sea and the land, here is the lighthouse, a modest building built on a rock. Smoke comes out of a chimney. Several people are gathered at the bottom of the lighthouse.
On the coast we can see 2 fortified buildings and the bell tower of a church. Several characters animate the scene, on the boats and on the ground.
The sky is gray above the village. The speckles left by the pencil add to the density of the atmosphere.
The work is in excellent condition, without tears or losses, without foxing. It is placed under glass, under a mat. The whole is framed in a sober modern black frame, new.
The work belongs to a set made by Jules Noël in the years 1847-1850. It is a perfect example of Jules Noël's mastery of marine subjects.

The artist
Jules Noël, also called Jules Achille Noël, whose real name was Louis Assez Noël, was born in Nancy in 1810. His family moved to Brittany when he was still a child. Jules Noël remained very attached to Brittany and painted it throughout his life. He taught drawing in Saint-Pol-de-Léon then in Lorient from 1835. In 1839, he settled in Nantes.
From 1840, he exhibited in all the Parisian salons. He drew constantly, especially on location in Brittany and Normandy. His reputation grew constantly and he established himself as a marine artist. Baudelaire noticed one of his seascapes in 1846.
He had a great career until the 1875s. Problems with alcohol and gambling addiction would have harmful consequences on his career and his production. In 1880, he joined one of his daughters in Algeria, where he died in 1881.

A large number of national museums hold works by Jules Noël, including the Louvre, the National Maritime Museum in London, the Château de Versailles museum, the museum of Brest, Marseille, Briançon, Dieppe, Rennes, Dijon, Angers, Castres, Chantilly, Chartres, Chaumont, La Rochelle, Mulhouse, Nancy, Nantes, Reims, Tours ... His works have been the subject of numerous public sales.

Work visible at the gallery (07240).
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