LOUIS-LÉOPOLD BOILLY (LA BASSÉE, 1761 – PARIS, 1845) A Mother’s Tenderness c. 1810 Oil on canvas 46.5 x 38.5 cm. Certificate by René Millet Publication Provenance Work reproduced in: L.-L. Boilly, sa vie, son œuvre, H. Harisse, Paris, 1898, p. 93, cat. no. 114. Formerly in the collection of Antenor Patiño (1896–1982) at his residence on Avenue Foch, Paris. A Mother’s Tenderness c. 1810 Oil on canvas 46.5 x 38.5 cm. Certificate by René Millet Publication Provenance Work reproduced in: L.-L. Boilly, His Life and Work, H. Harisse, Paris, 1898, p. 93, cat. no. 114. Formerly in the collection of Antenor Patiño (1896–1982) for his residence on Avenue Foch, Paris. In the tranquillity of a garden, a tender family scene unfolds before us. A young mother, like a modern Madonna, cradles her little girl’s face. Entirely absorbed in gazing at her child, she presents her profile to us, whilst the little girl stares back at us, her head facing the viewer. Standing side by side, they offer a striking contrast. One is brunette, the other blonde. The mother, with a solemn air, is dressed in a long white gown in the antique-style fashion of the Empire period, its long folds falling elegantly to the ground. The little girl, full of movement, makes her black moiré dress shimmer with curved folds that catch the light. Particular care has been taken with their clothing, the rendering of which is a speciality of the painter. The romantically styled setting is skilfully arranged. It foreshadows, in a unique way, the staging of studio portrait photography. From the background, a halo of light, corresponding to a gap in the trees, discreetly frames the mother’s embrace. However, the main light comes from the front, focusing on the mother from whom the light seems to emanate, thereby reinforcing the expression of her maternal love. Boilly is the painter of scenes of family intimacy, which he knows how to stage with subtlety whilst conveying an impression of simplicity. Here, he breathes new life into the portrait genre by imbuing it with a profoundly sensitive dimension. Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761–1845) was a French painter and engraver, renowned for his portraits and genre scenes depicting the lives of his contemporaries. The son of a woodcarver, he studied painting, and more specifically ‘trompe-l’œil’, under Dominique Doncre in Arras. Settling in Paris in 1785, he began his career with gallant scenes in the style of Greuze and Fragonard. However, as a great admirer of 17th-century Dutch painting, he developed a fine, porcelain-like touch in the style of Gérard Dou or Van Mieris, whose paintings he owned. Forced to change his subjects, deemed immoral, during the Revolution, he became a portrait painter. These *Maternal Caresses* bear witness to this turning point in his career. He then took particular care to convey the intimacy of family or friendly relationships. Although he exhibited for the first time at the Salon in 1794, it was chiefly during the Directoire and the Empire that he rose to fame. He enjoyed great success at the 1798 Salon with a group portrait, *Réunion d’artistes dans l’atelier d’Isabey* (Gathering of Artists in Isabey’s Studio), and was subsequently awarded the gold medal at the 1804 Salon for *L’Arrivée de la diligence* (both in the Louvre), which depicts one of his earliest scenes of urban life that would become his speciality. As a chronicler of the social life of his time, Boilly became a ‘ painter of modern life’ ahead of his time. Made a Knight of the Legion of Honour and later a member of the Institut de France in 1833, he ended his career showered with honours.