Marie-Françoise Constance Mayer La Martinière (9 March 1775 – 26 May 1821) was a French painter of

portraits A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this re ...

, allegorical subjects, miniatures and

genre works 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, ...

. She had "a brilliant but bitter career."Petteys, Chris, "Dictionary of Women Artists", G K Hill & Co. publishers, 1985

Biography

Self-portrait of Constance Mayer with her father

Constance Mayer was the daughter of a successful government official. Mayer painted genre scenes and portraits in her early 20s.Delia Gaze.
Concise Dictionary of Women Artists
'. Routledge; 3 April 2013. . p. 665. Having studied with

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 ...

and

Jean-Baptiste Greuze Jean-Baptiste Greuze (, 21 August 1725 – 4 March 1805) was a French painter of portraits, genre scenes, and history painting. Biography Early life Greuze was born at Tournus, a market town in Burgundy. He is generally said to have formed h ...

, she adopted a style of soft brush strokes and made paintings of sentimental scenes like that of her instructors. Greuze, for instance, his daughters said that "he painted virtue, friendship and innocence, and his soul breathes through his pictures" although more objective opinions were that he painted wounded and vulnerable subjects.Germaine Greer.
The Obstacle Race: The Fortunes of Women Painters and Their Work
'. Tauris Parke Paperbacks; 2 June 2001. . p. 36. Following the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...

, society settled into a calmer lifestyle in which miniature and portrait paintings became popular. Mayer painted portraits of women and children, family scenes, self-portraits and miniatures of her father. She attained a degree of success, exhibited ''Self-Portrait of Citizenness Mayer Pointing to a Sketch for a Portrait of Her Mother'', and exhibited at every salon thereafter. At the 1801 salon, she exhibited ''Self-Portrait with Artist's Father: He Points to a Bust of Raphael, Inviting Her to Take This Celebrated Painter as a Model''. Sensitive to the viewpoint of women artists, Mayer had her work presented as the student of Greuze and Suvee so that they would be more acceptable to the public. She worked in

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 ...

's studio in 1801 and adopted a direct and simple style under his tutelage, but still depicted sentimental scenes. She studied with

Pierre-Paul Prud'hon Pierre-Paul Prud'hon (, 4 April 1758 – 16 February 16, 1823) was a French Romantic Painting, painter and drawing, draughtsman best known for his allegorical paintings and portraits such as ''Madame Georges Anthony and Her Two Sons'' (1796). He ...

beginning in 1802,Stranahan, C.H., "A History of French Painting: An account of the French Academy of Painting, its salons, schools of instructions and regulations", Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1896 but they did not have the typical pupil-master relationship. In many ways, there were more like peers. They had both exhibited at the salon and unlike Prud'hon, she had received a better education in art, and he was known for his talent in drawing, particularly complex historic compositions. During the time when Prud'hon was painting the portrait of Empress Josephine, his wife, in a fit of jealousy, claimed that he was having an affair with the empress. Prud'hon's wife was heldGermaine Greer.
The Obstacle Race: The Fortunes of Women Painters and Their Work
'. Tauris Parke Paperbacks; 2 June 2001. . p. 37. in an asylum and Prud'hon was given custody of their children.Nicholas Turner.
European Drawings 4: Catalogue of the Collections
'. Getty Publications; 3 January 2001. . p. 250. After the artist Prud'hon had separated from his wife, the

Emperor Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

gave him an apartment in the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

. At about the same time (c. 1803), Napoléon, who had purchased two of her paintings, gave Mayer an apartment there too. There she served as Prud'hon's assistant, raised his five children and was known as his "favorite pupil." After 1804 her works of art were greatly influenced by Prud'hon and subsequently received greater acclaim for her paintings. This situation lasted until 1821 or 1822 when "she heard it announced that the artist (Prud'hon) must leave the Sorbonne to the claims of the church.".Stranahan, C.H., "A History of French Painting: An account of the French Academy of Painting, its salons, schools of instructions and regulations", Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1896 p. 154 Prud'hon's wife died and Mayer had expected that she would marry him. Prone to depression throughout her life, this prompted a crisis in Mayer's life, "when Prud'hon refused to acknowledge her assistance and marry her after the many years she had served as his assistant and his housekeeper", she then seized "the artist's razor, drew it across her throat." Prud'hon organized a retrospective of her works the following year but, distressed by her death, died in 1823. They are buried together in Paris's

Père Lachaise A name suffix, in the Western English-language naming tradition, follows a person's full name and provides additional information about the person. Post-nominal letters indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accredit ...

cemetery.''Constance Mayer.''
Wallace Collection. Retrieved March 10, 2014.

Controversy

As was often the case with women artists who were associated with better known male artists, there were claims made that she did not produce all the work attributed to her and because of her long relationship with Prud'hon, it is still not well understood exactly what he did and what she did. This confusion is in large part due to the fact that the two artists collaborated on several works: he sketched the design and she made the paintings. Many were exhibited under her name, but when the works became part of public collections they were attributed to Prud'hon. For instance, ''Venus and Cupid sleeping'' now attributed to Mayer was initially attributed in the Wallace Collection to Prud'hon.Elizabeth E. Guffey.
Drawing an Elusive Line: The Art of Pierre-Paul Prud'hon
'. University of Delaware Press; 2001. . pp. 180-181.

Legacy

Pauline Auzou Pauline Auzou (24 March 1775 – 15 May 1835) was a French painter and art instructor, who exhibited at the Paris Salon and was commissioned to make paintings of Napoleon and his wife Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma. Personal life Jeanne-Mar ...

Marguerite Gérard Marguerite Gérard (28 January 1761 in Grasse – 18 May 1837 in Paris) .Note that contrary to all other sources, the given death date is 1 January 1832, not 18 May 1837. was a successful French painter and printmaker working in the Rococo style. ...

, Antoinette Haudebourt-Lescot and

Marie-Denise Villers Marie-Denise Villers (''née'' Lemoine; 1774 – 19 August 1821) was a French Painting, painter who specialized in portraits. Life Marie-Denise Lemoine was born in Paris to Charles Lemoine and Marie-Anne Rouselle. Two of her three sisters, Marie ...

, Mayer was one of the successful women artists following the French Revolution: Her work was exhibited by the National Museum of Women of the Arts in "An Imperial Collection: Women Artists from the State Hermitage Museum."''Constance Mayer''
. Clara Database of Women Artists. National Museum of Women of the Arts. Retrieved 10 March 2014.

Gallery

File:Amable Tastu by Constance Mayer.jpg, ''

Amable Tastu Amable Tastu, born Sabine Casimire Amable Voïart, (30 August 1795André Bellard: ''Pléiade messine'', in ''Mémoires de l'Académie nationale de Metz'', n°59, 1966-1967. - 10 January 1885) was a 19th-century French poet and writer (femme de let ...

'', oil on canvas, Musée de Metz, France File:Marie-Constance Mayer - The Sleep of Venus and Cupid - WGA14700.jpg, ''Venus and Cupid sleeping'', Wallace Collection, London File:Mayer-rossini.jpg, ''Rossini''

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayer, Constance 1775 births 1821 deaths 19th-century French painters Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Suicides by sharp instrument in France 19th-century French women artists 1820s suicides