Nanine Vallain (1767–1815) was a French painter active between 1785 and 1810. She was sometimes known as Jeanne-Louise Vallain or Madame Piètre.

Biography

Vallain was a native of Paris, born into the family of a master scribe. She took lessons in painting and drawing with

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

and

Joseph-Benoît Suvée Joseph-Benoît Suvée (3 January 1743 – 9 February 1807) was a Flemish painter strongly influenced by French neo-classicism. Biography Suvée was born in Bruges. Initially a pupil of Matthias de Visch, he came to France aged 19 and bec ...

. Vallain was first recognized by art critics in 1785 during the

Exposition de la Jeunesse Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to: *Universal exposition or World's Fair *Expository writing **Exposition (narrative) *Exposition (music) *Trade fair * ''Exposition'' (album), the debut album by the band Wax on Radio *Exposi ...

, an annual exhibit at the

place Dauphine The Place Dauphine is a public square located near the western end of the Île de la Cité in the first arrondissement of Paris. It was initiated by Henry IV in 1607, the second of his projects for public squares in Paris, the first being the Pl ...

, by a critic with the

Mercure de France The was originally a French gazette and literary magazine first published in the 17th century, but after several incarnations has evolved as a publisher, and is now part of the Éditions Gallimard publishing group. The gazette was published f ...

. She returned there in 1787 with the work ''L'Etude'', and was "praised for her firm handling, sophistication, harmony and agreeable colour and brushwork." Her final exhibition at the

took place in 1788, after which she exhibited in other locations in Paris. In these early years of her career, Vallain primarily painted portraits, similar to many other women artists of the time period. Louis Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Enghien by Nanine Vallain

Louis Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Enghien by Nanine Vallain

Vallain married Barthèlemy Piètre in 1793. In October of that same year she joined the Commune générale des arts during the brief window of time it allowed women to join. It was at this time that she produced her best-known work, an allegory of ''Liberty'' which hung in the

Jacobin Club , logo = JacobinVignette03.jpg , logo_size = 180px , logo_caption = Seal of the Jacobin Club (1792–1794) , motto = "Live free or die"(french: Vivre libre ou mourir) , successor = Pa ...

until it closed in 1794. Vallain began participating in the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

in Paris in 1793, continuing until 1810, though she did not exhibit at all between the years 1796 and 1805. The paintings she exhibited at the Salon between 1806 and 1810 were primarily allegorical and biblical, including: ''Sappho Singing a Hymn to Love'', ''Cain Fleeing with His Family after the Death of Abel and Tirzan'', ''Wife of Abel'', ''Crying on the Tomb of her Spouse and Imploring Mercury'', and ''Portrait of a Lady.'' Later in her career Vallin's work received little attention, and by 1832 was forgotten; she is not listed in

Charles Gabet Émile Étienne ''Charles'' Gabet (16 May 1821 in Paris – 15 January 1903) was a 19th-century French playwright and librettist. Biography Gabet was the son of the painter Charles Gabet and his wife Françoise Ursine Eugénie Viquesnel. He le ...

's 1832 dictionary of French artists of the period. She specialized in portraits, but also painted

genre scenes Genre art is the pictorial representation in any of various media of scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, work, and street scenes. Such representations (also called genre works, ...

, historical works, biblical scenes, and allegories. A ''Portrait of a Lady,'' circa 1805, is currently held by the

National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland ( ga, Gailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on ...

. Her ''Portrait of Louis-Antoine-Henry de Bourbon-Condé, duc d'Enghien'', dating to around 1788, is in the

Musée Condé The Musée Condé – in English, the Condé Museum – is a French museum located inside the Château de Chantilly in Chantilly, Oise, 40 km north of Paris. In 1897, Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale, son of Louis Philippe I, bequeathed the c ...

, while a ''Portrait of a Young Girl with a Lamb'' from 1788 is held by the

Musée Cognacq-Jay The Musée Cognacq-Jay ( en, Cognacq-Jay Museum) is a museum located in the Hôtel Donon in the 3rd arrondissement at 8 rue Elzévir, Paris, France. It is open daily except Monday; admission is free. The nearest Metro stations are Saint-Paul ...

. Her well-known depiction of

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

is now owned by the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

Biography

References

Further reading