Portrait Of A Young Woman - Jules Salles (1814-1900) - Oil On Canvas

Portrait of a young woman holding a rose in her hand. Dressed in white and wearing a pink ribbon, this portrait is probably a commission made to the artist. Signed JULES SALLES and dated 1897 at the top left of the work. Good condition, sold without frame. 56x46cm Jules Salles was born in Nîmes on June 14, 1814, into a family of silk merchants. After secondary studies in Lyon, he began a commercial career, but ultimately turned to painting. He won a prize at the Nîmes drawing school in 1839, then perfected his skills at the Académie des beaux-arts and in Paris with Paul Delaroche. He traveled to Italy, where he was nourished by the art of the great museums. Salles began exhibiting in 1841 in Nîmes, specializing in portraits. Married to Mélina Boissier in 1846, he adopted a daughter after their inability to have children. A member of the Académie de Nîmes since 1850, he became president in 1861. He made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1859, but lost his wife that same year. He remarried in 1865 with Adélaïde Wagner, also an artist. Together, they exhibited in several cities. In 1900, Salles offered his last paintings to Nîmes and died on December 30 of the same year, leaving a sum to the Académie of which he was the dean. He is buried in the Protestant cemetery of Nîmes.