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Portrait of Alfred CHAUCHARD

Fine Arts
Inventory number
2018.10.15.1.FA.PA.C1900.FR
Attribution:
Charles MAURIN (French, 1856 – 1914)
Description
Painting portrait of Hippolyte François Alfred CHAUCHARD, a businessman and collector of French art, born August 22, 1821 in Les Mureaux (Seine-et-Oise - now Yvelines) and died June 5, 1909 in Paris.

In 1855, Alfred CHAUCHARD, hitherto committed to the magazine of novelties Au Pauvre Diable, joins forces with Auguste HERIOT and Charles Eugène FARE to rent the ground floor of the Hôtel du Louvre, which has just opened its doors rue de Rivoli, where they create "Les Galeries du Louvre". The premises are leased to La Compagnie Immobilière de Paris and the Pereire brothers advance funds for the launch of the business. In 1857, Charles Eugène FARE retired, and the company was restructured around CHAUCHARD and HERIOT. In 1879, the two partners were able to buy the entire building (which now houses the Louvre antique dealers). After two years of work, they opened Les Grands Magasins du Louvre. The company will only disappear in 1974. CHAUCHARD sells his shares for an unknown reason in 1885.

CHAUCHARD collected vast collections of paintings and objets d'art; his name remains attached to the purchase, for the enormous sum of 800,000 gold francs, of L'Angélus by Jean-François MILLET, which was being contested by several American museums. He bought the painting 1814, La Campagne de France by Ernest MEISSONIER for 850,000 gold francs. He also purchased artworks by COROT, DELACROIX, DAUBIGNY, MEISSONIER, all of them are currently at the Musée d'Orsay.

At that time, the acquisition credits of the Louvre were much lower than those of the museums of Berlin or London, and the museum benefits mainly from the largesse of the great donors it cultivates among which Alfred CHAUCHARD.
Material
Oil on canvas
Origin
circa 1900 France
Dimensions
Length : 33.5 cm
Height : 41 cm
Related person
Charles MAURIN (French, 1856 – 1914) (creator)
Exhibitions History
• 2019.11.15–2020.01.19. ‘Art Nouveau. From Alexandre Vassiliev foundation collection.’ Mark Rothko art centre, Daugavpils, Latvia.
• 2020.02.29–2020.11.30. ‘Invitation to the La Belle Epoque ball (1889–1914). From Alexandre Vassiliev foundation collection.’ Castle Fall, Keila-Joa, Estonia.
• 2025.06.26–2025.08.15. ‘Art Nouveau Fashion (1901–1919). From the collection of Alexandre Vassiliev foundation.’ Kiduliai Manor, Šakiai district, Lithuania.