Joseph Boze (1745–1826), Portraitiste De Deux Artistes, M
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Neil Jeffares, Dictionary of pastellists before 1800 Online edition BOZE, Joseph However they led to his meeting the comte de Boze’s role during the Revolution has been Martigues 6.II.1745 – Paris 17.I.1826 Tessé, premier écuyer de la reine, who may well the subject of some controversy, not least Many of the widely repeated biographical details have been responsible for Boze’s introduction because his daughter’s royalist inclinations made of this artist come from Volcy-Boze’s memoir, to the court (it seems unlikely that, as Volcy- her try to get Volcy-Boze to ignore this episode based on recollections of Boze’s youngest Boze says, he was presented to the king by the in Boze’s life. In fact Boze welcomed the initial daughter Victoire, which Gérard Fabre (Boze abbé de Vermont, and the suggestion that his stages, joining the Jacobins and portraying 2004) has shown to be fanciful, misleading or wife was the mistress of Louis XVI is pure numerous movers of whom Mirabeau, simply wrong. The son of a sailor, Boze left fantasy). Robespierre and La Fayette were the most Martigues for Marseille around 1760–62, and Boze’s career was thenceforth linked to the famous. With the help of Thierry, valet de may have studied at either the École pratique de royal family. He wrote to a friend on 29.V.1785 chambre du roi, Boze acted as an intermediary dessin et de peinture or the Académie de (cited Hugues 2003): between the king and the Girondins in 1792. At peinture. It seems probable that he was taught, J’ai eu l’avantage de peindre le Roi et je l’ai fait d’une the same time (Tribunal du 6e arrondissement, or at least influenced, by the pastellist Pierre ressemblance frappante ce qui m’a procuré les 22.V.1792) Boze successfully took legal action Bernard, with whose style some of Boze’s early portraits de la famille royale, et m’a donné une against the émigré comte de Provence for non- works bear clear similarities in terms of réputation distinguée. De cette affaire là, ma famille payment of 6000 livres for his portrait en pied (a est venue me joindre à Versailles où nous passerons composition and cool tonality (the portrait of similar action against M. & Mme Darragon for un an…le Roi m’a logé aux appartements de Mgr. le 1200 livres for two portraits of Mme Darragon Joseph André is a good example of the difficulty Prince de Conti…au château de Versailles. of distinguishing their work, while Boze’s first was heard on 22.IV.1792, while one against the However in the transcript of an enquiry about known pastel, the inconnu of 1771, is placed in maréchal de Castries on 26.IX.1792 failed when Houdon’s bust of Madame Adélaïde raised by the sort of decorative stone border that Bernard the defendant produced a receipt showing that d’Angiviller in 1785, there is a note from frequently employed). On 7.I.1770 in Avignon the 60 louis had already been paid). Boze was Cuvillier, premier commis des Bâtiments du roi: (Saint-Agricol), Boze married Madeleine- nevertheless arrested in 1793 and tried as a Françoise Clétiez (1751–1835), from Alès, On s’émerveille, comme on le fait sur ce pastel de counter-revolutionary. He was acquitted after where they settled (while continuing to travel to peintre provençal qui s’évertue actuellement sur le the intervention of his wife. In 1794 Boze Roy, la Reine et les enfants d’Artois et qui paroît Marseille); they were to have six children. In published a print after his earlier portrait of aussi fort en ressemblance qu’il est foible et peut-être Marat, no doubt in an attempt to reestablish his 1776 they moved to Nîmes, then an important mauvais quant à l’Art. town in the South. While at Nîmes, Boze forged revolutionary credentials. After his release he a close relationship with Rabaut-Saint-Étienne, Nevertheless, Boze’s account book (cited below did not leave France, as is widely reported. He and became sympathetic to the Protestant cause. as Livre de comptes) shows the amount of his signed the petition to have Vigée Le Brun’s Throughout his career, these links were to be a work which was devoted to repetitions of royal name removed from the list of émigrés (1799). significant source of commissions, although his portraits in various media. He charged up to Very little is known of his activities between publication of an engraving of the Assemblée des 1200 livres for an original pastel portrait and 1803 and 1813, although he was listed in the protestants à Nîmes in 1785 was to prove a 360 livres for a pastel repetition. The Livre de Almanach du commerce de Paris in 1805 and 1811, commercial disaster. Boze moved to Paris in comptes covers the period 1784–88, the first rue de Sorbonne. He was given a pension by the 1778, under circumstances that are far from year only in part, and include miniatures, oils restored Louis XVIII in 1817. He died on clear. Through his wife’s relative (uncle, and engravings as well as pastels: for the four 17.I.1826 (17, rue du Regard, Paris). according to Volcy-Boze), the abbé Vanmale full years the number of pastels was 25, 10, 6 Fabre provides an analysis of Boze’s working [recte Antoine Brès de Vammalle (1729–1781), and 6. His total income in each year ranged methods. He probably made his initial images in vicaire général], he met M. Duché, avocat between 12,528 and 20,795 livres. His success pastel, working up a highly finished version, général au parlement du Languedoc, who may (or at least his expectations, as his accounts from which other images were derived. This was have introduced him to artistic circles in show that he borrowed 2000 livres from the partly because (as with other royal portraitists) Montpellier. Shortly afterwards he is found in banker M. Feyt Cadet in Paris in 1783) was pastel was quicker and placed fewer demands on Paris. He is also said to have studied with La displayed in the stylish apartment he rented in busy sitters, but also because this was the Tour; while a meeting is possible (and appears the place des Victoires for 2000 livres per medium in which he felt more comfortable. It is to be implied by the inclusion of his name in La annum. still not clear to what extent Boze obtained Boze never joined the Académie royale. He Tour’s 20.II.1784 will: Boze, rue du Gros- proper sittings from his royal subjects; in many Chenet), a formal relationship is improbable. exhibited for the first time in the open salon of cases he may have relied on images of Louis Boze dabbled in inventions, including a 1791, to negative reviews: one critic advised XVI from artists such as Callet, amending these machine for unharnessing runaway horses and a Robespierre, one of his subjects, to stick to based on personal observation in public hands-free device for turning pages of music, women painters for his portrait (Labille- appearances of the king. The repetitions, in and was a member of the Académie des arts Guiard’s portrait was in the same Salon), while pastel, oil or miniature, were made to widely utiles and the Société des inventions et another said Boze’s work was “sec, froid, varying standards of finish, dependent on the découverts; some of his ideas were praised in a grisaille et incorrect”, and Robespierre was “tout recipient and no doubt the price. Oil was clearly 1780 report to the Académie des sciences by the jaune et tout pâle”. The “amateur vraiment still considered the more important medium: the brilliant Vaucanson – whose portrait Boze impartial” however came to his defence, noting banker Delessert commissioned his oval portrait exhibited at the Salon de la Correspondance in that Boze and Labille-Guiard had invited in oil, while his wife was done in pastel. 1782, to the acclaim of Pahin de La Blancherie: comparison by showing so many portraits of the Although many of Boze’s miniatures are same politicians, and praised– outstanding, his command of oil was at best L’Artiste veut bien faire présent de ce Portrait, le seul qui ait été fait de ce Savant célèbre pour enrichir la le talent si estimable et si distingué de M. Boze. uncertain; and in larger commissions he did not précieuse collection que l’on prépare au chef-lieu de Celui-cy, dans tous ses portraits, et notamment dans hesitate to engage help, in the form of Robert la Correspondance. M. Bose, très habile méchanicien ceux de Mirabeau, de MM. Fayet, Robespierre et le Lefèvre. While initially this partnership was kept lui-même, étoit plus qu’aucun Artiste dans le cas de sien, montre réunis à un si haut degré le mérite d’une secret, the later controversy with Lefèvre over mettre un prix aux séances dont l’avoit gratifié M. de incomparable vérité de ressemblance dont est si loin the authorship of works such as the full-length l’à peu près de tel autre et celui d’un ton de couleur Vaucanson. Indépendamment du mérite de la portrait of Mirabeau must have damaged Boze’s ressemblance, ce portrait a tout celui de l’Art. qui, varié comme celui de ses modèles, est ainsi constamment fidèle à la nature; M. Boze, dis-je, à reputation as a painter, and underlines his (As may be expected, Boze also devised his own chaque indication de ses ouvrages que donne la technical weaknesses.