Jean-baptiste Frénet (1814-1889) Study Portrait Of A Woman With Clasped Hands - Drawing

The son of a silk merchant from Lyon, Jean-Baptiste Frenet entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon in 1827, before joining the studio of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres in Paris. He met his master again in Rome, a stop on the trip he undertook to Italy alongside Janmot.

He exhibited at the 1841 Salon in Paris, but his career was essentially based in Lyon. His work, in keeping with his spiritual life, was primarily religious, divided between easel painting and large-scale frescoed church decorations.
Frenet also stands out for being a pioneer of photography.

History attributes to him the invention of the psychological portrait, which he advocated a few years before Nadar. He was also one of the first photographers to use close-ups.

The painter opened a professional photography studio in 1866 and 1867 in Lyon. One of his favorite models, in both painting and photography, was his wife. She was the one who created this drawing. Her features and hairstyle are easily recognizable. Our drawing is in preparation for a canvas presented by the gallery in 2024, possibly for a larger composition.