Jules Joseph LeFebvre (French, 1836-1911) "Morning Glory"

oil on canvas. signed 'Jules LeFebvre' (lower right). Period carved giltwood frame, liner customized to fit frame.

References:

Abel Lurat (French, 1829-1890) engraving of "Morning Glory" by LeFebvre.

Catalogue Note:

Jules-Joseph Lefebvre (1836 - 1911) was a French figure painter, educator and theorist.

Lefebvre was born in Tournan-en-Brie, Seine-et-Marne, on March 14, 1834. At age 16 he entered the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts and was a pupil of Léon Cogniet. In 1861 he would win the coveted Prix de Rome.

Best known for his portraits and allegorical portrayals of the female nude, Lefebvre had a brilliant career, receiving many honors and awards. He became a professor at the private Académie Julien in 1870, a regular member of Salon juries from 1875, a member in the Institut de France in 1891, and Commander of the Legion of Honor in 1898.

Lefebvre died in Paris on February 24, 1911.

As one critic observed, Lefebvre’s name evokes images of a “thousand adorable creatures, of which he is the father … and better than anyone else caresses, with a brush both delicate and sure, the undulating contour of the feminine form.”