Charles Giron

Lot description

(Geneva 1850–1914 Genthod) Portrait of Zoё Lucie Betty de Rothschild (1863–1916) and Léon Lambert (1851–1919), signed, dated Chs Giron 1889, oil on canvas, 170 x 124, framed Provenance: European Private Collection, since the 1980s. Exhibited: Paris, Exposition Universelle Internationale, 1889 (Portrait of Mr and Mrs L.L.). Catalogued and illustrated in: Exhibition catalogue, Exposition Universelle Internationale, Paris 1889, no. 52. Drawn to the cosmopolitan allure of the French capital—with its opera, theatres, grand balls, and the promise of artistic success—the Geneva-born painter Charles Giron moved to Paris at just over twenty-two. There, he quickly gained recognition among international high society for his sophisticated portraits, capturing the zeitgeist of the Belle Époque. By the 1880s, at the height of his career, Giron had formed friendships with some of the most renowned artists of his day, including John Singer Sargent (1856–1925), a relationship immortalised in Sargent’s well-known portrait of him. The present double portrait depicts an elegantly dressed young couple ready for a formal evening. The female figure is shown in a fashionable black dress with lace detailing that subtly reveals her arms and décolleté, complemented by a ribbon around her neck. A crescent-shaped brooch, symbolising the goddess Diana, adds an idealised touch to her figure. Her companion, seemingly ready to depart, rests his left hand on his hip while his gloved right hand holds the remaining glove in anticipation. Signed and dated Chs Giron 1889, the work was exhibited that same year at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, though the couple’s identities were not explicitly stated. It is certain that the artist painted the portrait at the age of 39, during the peak of his success, while residing at 53 Avenue Kléber, near the Arc de Triomphe. According to archival sources from the Petit Palais in Paris, the sitters were of Belgian origin. Towards the end of 1888, after being knighted in Brussels into the Order of Leopold, Giron spent several months in Belgium, where he likely encountered the couple. The name ‘Mme L.L.’ conceals the identity of Zoë Lucie Betty de Rothschild (1863–1916), daughter of Gustav Samuel James de Rothschild. This identification was made possible through comparisons with period photographs and a portrait of her by Franz von Lenbach, provided by the Rothschild Archive in London, which supports this hypothesis. In May 1882, Lucie married the Belgian banker Léon Lambert (1851, Antwerp – 1919, Paris), who represented the Rothschild banking branches in Belgium. The couple resided on Avenue Marnix in Brussels but also maintained a home in Paris on Avenue de Marigny. A descendant of the French branch of the Rothschild family—her grandfather being James Mayer, son of Mayer Amschel, who first established the family’s prominence in international finance—she was known as Lucie Lambert, aligning with the initials ‘L.L.’ listed in the Universal Exhibition catalogue. Charles Giron is regarded as one of the most refined colourists of fin-de-siècle Paris, often described by his contemporaries as ‘the most remarkable of living Swiss portrait painters.’