Isabelle Pinson (, ; ; 26 June 1769 – 18 November 1855), commonly known as Madame Pinson, was a French

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

and

portrait painter Portrait painting is a Hierarchy of genres, genre in painting, where the intent is to represent a specific human subject. The term 'portrait painting' can also describe the actual painted portrait. Portraitists may create their work by commissio ...

. She is best recognized for her artwork titled "''The Fly Catcher''" (1508), which was prominently exhibited at the

Snite Museum of Art The Snite Museum of Art, was the fine art museum on the University of Notre Dame campus, near South Bend, Indiana.Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and was baptized at the

Church of Saint-Sulpice Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

. She was named in honor of her godmother and her mother's employer, Isabelle de Jaucourt (1703–1783). Before her birth, her parents, Fabien Proteau and his wife, Marie Bourdereau, married in 1768. Marie was a native of Brinon-sur-Beuvron. Eleven years prior to her birth, in 1758, Marie, along with her six siblings, were taken in by Isabelle de Jaucourt to live in her private mansion on Rue de la Chaise, where she took the role of chambermaid. Fabien was a Burgundian from

Genlis, Côte-d'Or Genlis () is a French Communes of France, commune in the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department. Male inhabitants are called Genlisiens and famales are called Genlisiennes. Geography The city of Genlis is located in the Côte-d'Or de ...

; he served as a

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, ''valet de chambre'' was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "va ...

to the Viscount of Jaucourt until his passing on 17 April 1771.

Education

After the death of her father, Isabelle was taken under the care of her godmother. Having shown an aptitude for drawing at an early age, she received lessons from renowned painters

Jean-Baptiste Regnault Jean-Baptiste Regnault (; 9 October 1754 – 12 November 1829) was a French painter. Biography Regnault was born in Paris, and began life at sea in a merchant vessel. At the age of fifteen his talent attracted attention, and he was sent to ...

François-André Vincent François-André Vincent (; 30 December 1746 – 4 August 1816) was a French neoclassical painter. Biography Vincent was born in Paris in 1746, the son of the miniaturist François-Elie Vincent. He studied under Joseph-Marie Vien and wa ...

, and

Adélaïde Labille-Guiard Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (; 11 April 1749 – 24 April 1803), also known as Adélaïde Labille-Guiard des Vertus, was a French Portrait miniature, miniaturist and portrait painter. She was an advocate for women to receive the same opportunities ...

. It's possible Isabelle met

Jean-Antoine Houdon Jean-Antoine, chevalier Houdon (; 20 March 1741 – 15 July 1828) was a French neoclassical sculptor. Houdon is famous for his portrait busts and statues of philosophers, inventors and political figures of the Enlightenment. Houdon's subjects ...

from her early childhood with the Jaucourt family.

Marriage

On 19 July 1792, Isabelle discreetly married in a property he had purchased from

Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Louis Philippe Joseph; 13 April 17476 November 1793), was a French Prince of the Blood who supported the French Revolution. Louis Philippe II was born at the to Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, Louis Phi ...

in the Clichy-en-Launois (now

Clichy-sous-Bois Clichy-sous-Bois () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris. It is located from central Paris.Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

for the first time in 1796, presenting three portraits. At the Salon of 1801, Isabelle exhibited a painting of

Jacques-René Tenon Jacques-René Tenon (, 21 February 1724 – 16 January 1816) was a French surgeon born in Sépeaux in northern Burgundy. He was very active in hospital reform during the second half of the 18th century. His seminal treatise on hospital design and ...

. Furthermore, a work by Isabelle Pinson is part of the collections of the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. It depicts

man of letters An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the world of culture, either ...

, Pierre-Noël Famin. It was offered at the museum in 1839 by

Pierre-Jules Jollivet Pierre-Jules Jollivet (27 June 1803, in Paris – 7 September 1871, in Paris) was a French painter and lithographer who worked mostly in the Romantic style and is largely known for genre scenes. Biography He initially studied architecture wi ...

, a grandson of one of the sisters of Famin.

Later life and death

In 1811, Isabelle and her husband acquired a property called the "Ferme de Rochefort" in Saint-Germain-lès-Corbeil. On 19 July 1828, her husband died in the same village on their 36th wedding anniversary. On 18 November 1855, Isabelle died in Saint-Germain-lès-Corbeil.

Artworks

Works by Isabelle Pinson

File:Isabelle Pinson - Self-Portrait at an Easel and With a Young Girl.jpg, ''Self-Portrait at an Easel and With a Young Girl'', 1804 File:Isabelle Pinson - The Fly Catcher (2).jpg, ''The Fly Catcher'', 1808 File:Portrait of Pierre Sue by Isabelle Pinson 2.jpg, ''Portrait of

Pierre Sue Pierre Sue FRSE (28 December 1739 – 28 March 1816) was a French anatomist, librarian and physician. Life He was born on 28 December 1739 the son of Jean-Joseph Sue and his wife, Jeanne Angelique Martin de Martin. His younger brother was Je ...

'', 1809 File:Philippe Petit-Radel.jpg, ''Portrait of

Philippe Petit-Radel Philippe Petit-Radel (Paris, 7 February 1749 – 30 November 1815) was a French physician, surgeon and writer, editor of the two volumes devoted to Surgery by the ''Encyclopédie méthodique''. Biography At the age of seventeen, he was awarded a ...

'', before 1815 File:Isabelle Pinson - Rencontre de saint Germain et sainte Genevieve, 1821.jpg, ''Meeting of St Germanus of Auxerre with Genevieve of Paris'', 1821 File:Isabelle Pinson - Probable portrait of the artist's mother.jpg, ''Presumed portrait of the artist's mother, Marie Bourdereau, widow Proteau'', undated

Notes

References

Citations

Works cited

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pinson, Isabelle 1769 births Painters from Paris 18th-century French painters 18th-century French women 19th-century French painters 19th-century French women French painters 18th-century French women painters