Jean-Baptiste PAULIN GUERIN (Toulon, 1783 - Paris, 1855) Portrait of Alexandrine Jolly, known as Saint-Aubin Canvas (Original canvas) (Restorations) Portrait of Madame Alexandrine Jolly, canvas, by J.-B. P. Guérin 45.67 x 34.65 in. 116 x 88 cm Exhibitions : Salon des Artistes Vivants, Paris, 1819, n° 569 : "Portrait de Mme. J***". An engraver, draughtsman and vaudeville actor, Adrien Jolly married Alexandrine Saint-Aubin, herself a singer at the Opéra-Comique, in 1812. In 1810, Saint-Aubin achieved prodigious European success when she created the title role of Cendrillon in Nicolas Isouard's play of the same name: "The success of Cendrillon is one of the most brilliant that the Opéra-Comique can remember. For more than a hundred performances, the auditorium could not accommodate the audience [...]. This triumph was not confined to Paris, or even to France: Cinderella's tambour de basque drew enthusiastic crowds everywhere, and her green slipper toured Europe. It was a veritable furore1" It would even seem that the young woman made her fortune from the role, explaining her early retirement from the stage in 1817 as follows: "Cinderella now lives retired, not in some obscure, inconvenient little corner, but in a beautiful castle, where she reigns as she did in the time of Prince Ramir "2. It is therefore not surprising that, shortly after Alexandrine's retirement, the Jolly couple chose to commission Paulin Guérin to paint portraits of the couple. What is more, Adrien Jolly, as a former engraver and draughtsman, remained a personality close to the contemporary artistic milieu. His album, kept at the BNF (Department of Performing Arts, ASP 4-O ICO-63), bears witness to his friendships with several famous painters of his time, in particular Carle Vernet, André Dutertre, Nicolas Delaunay and Gilles Chrétien. The portraits of Madame and Monsieur Jolly were subsequently exhibited at the Salon of 1819, which marked a real turning point in Paulin Guérin's career. The young painter exhibited no fewer than nineteen portraits. In addition to the major royal commissions of full-length portraits of Louis XVIII and the Duchess of Berry, Paulin Guérin confirmed his success with a clientele made up of wealthy aristocrats. However, among the official and solemn representations of barons and marquesses, we find portraits of a few artists: a painter, Jean-Baptiste Isabey; an acrobat, Madame Saqui; and the two portraits of the Jolly couple. Alexandrine Jolly, aged around 25, is portrayed outside, nonchalantly leaning against a mound. With this composition, Paulin Guérin is following in the footsteps of Baron Gérard's representations of fashionable women at the turn of the century with his portrait of Madame Récamier3, from which Paulin Guérin borrows the colouring. 1 - Charles Guillaume Étienne, Œuvres, T.III, Paris, Firmin Didot Frères, p. 7. 2 - Idem, p. 6. 3 - Baron Gérard, Portrait of Juliette Récamier, circa 1802 - 1805, Paris, Musée Carnavalet (Inv. P1581). We would like to thank Paul Menoux for confirming the authenticity of this work and for writing this note. Lot temporarily imported VAT at the reduced rate of 5.5% applies to the hammer price and the sales commission. Lot in temporary importation 5,5% VAT is calculated on the hammer price and buyer's premium. Jean-Baptiste PAULIN GUERIN (Toulon, 1783 - Paris, 1855) 116 x 88 cm