Claude Marie Dubufe (1790 - 1864) Portrait Of A Young Girl (mademoiselle Piton Du Gault)

We would like to thank Mr. Emmanuel Breon who confirmed the authenticity of this work.


Art lover and talented for painting, he attend very young David’s atelier but since his father disapproved his career choice, he had to pay on his own for the lessons. In 1811, travelling in Italy, he was introduced to the Orléans Family. This meeting marked the beginning of a long and brilliant career as a nobility and haute bourgeoisie portraitist.
He was honored with two official order in 1824, one for the birth of the Duc de Bordeaux and the other for the commemoration of Bidassoa passage. Two years later, he opened his atelier and founded an association for artists. His paintings, Souvenirs and Regrets, exhibited at the Salon in 1827, definitely strengthen his reputation.
Troughout his career, he went many times to the Abbaye de la Lucerne, wich was the summer residency of the Dubufe, and painted there many countryside in the way of Jacques Raymond Brascassat.
The portrait we are presenting comes from Piton du Gault family, from Avranche, in the vicinity of the Dubufe’s residency. It is quite likely that Dubufe accepted, during one of his stay, to paint the portrait of this young lady, as the family neighbor. Leaning on a balustrade, she is poses in an afternoon dress on the terasse, while gazing into the distance. The fine and pink brushstroke of the visage skin tone, as well as the transparency and the appearance of the dress, are typical of Dubufe female portraits. By its composition and colors, this painting is very similar to the portrait of Mme Francis Vaussard, borned Elisabeth Adélaïde Cavalier, exhibited at the Rouen Museum.