Portrait of a Girl by Gabrielle Debillement-Chardon
Gabrielle Debillement-Chardon
Oval Portrait of a Young Woman
Drawing (15 x 20 cm, signed and dated Juillet 1946)
This refined portrait, rendered in soft graphite and delicate watercolor wash, captures a young woman in a timeless, neoclassical style. The sitter gazes outward with poised serenity, her hair adorned with small blossoms and a ribbon, echoing an 18th-century sensibility. She wears a loosely draped garment accented with a rose at the chest, drawn with gentle lines and subtle color highlights in pale green and cream. The overall effect is one of quiet elegance and nostalgic grace, characteristic of Debillemont-Chardon’s later work, where she blends classical restraint with the intimacy of a personal sketch.
September 26, 1860 - September 26, 1957
Gabrielle Debillemont-Chardon was a distinguished French painter, and educator who played a pivotal role in reviving and modernizing the art of miniature painting during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Born in Dijon into a musically inclined family—her father, Jean-Jacques-Joseph Debillemont, was a composer and conductor—she pursued visual arts, studying under notable miniaturists Pierre-Paul de Pommayrac and Antonin Pierre Topart, as well as painter Émile Lévy. Debillemont-Chardon began exhibiting at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1876, earning a gold medal in 1891 and the Maxime-David miniature prize in 1894. By 1901, she was recognized as hors concours, exempting her from future competition due to her established reputation.
Beyond her artistic achievements, she was deeply committed to education, particularly for women. From 1881 to 1896, she taught drawing in Parisian municipal schools and directed a drawing school in the 10th arrondissement from 1884 to 1892. She also offered private lessons in her studio, mentoring students from various countries, including France, Sweden, Britain, and Russia.
Debillemont-Chardon was instrumental in revitalizing miniature painting, which had declined with the advent of photography. She held leadership roles in several art societies, such as the Société de la Miniature, de l’Aquarelle et des Arts Précieux and the Société des Miniaturistes et Enlumineurs de France. In 1909, she authored “La Miniature sur ivoire. Essai historique et traité pratique,” advocating for the modernization of miniature techniques.
Her works are preserved in prominent French institutions, including the Musée d’Orsay, the Petit Palais, and the Musée Lambinet. Notable pieces include “La Femme au grand chapeau” (1901) and “Portrait de fillette au bonnet brodé” (1901).
In recognition of her contributions to art and education, Debillemont-Chardon was appointed Officier de l’Instruction Publique in 1896 and named Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in 1928. She passed away in Paris in 1957 and was interred at the Cimetière des Batignolles.
Sources:
Note on the back “For Cricri” – Cricri is an affectionate name in French for Christine or Christiane. Possibly this was a gift to one of Debillement-Chardon’s students, someone in her family circle or the daughter of a friend.
