Félix Dominique de Vuillefroy-Cassini (March 2, 1841 – February 1, 1916) was a French painter, engraver and entomologist. As an artist he was particularly well-known as an

animalier An animalier (, ) is an artist, mainly from the 19th century, who specializes in, or is known for, skill in the realistic portrayal of animals. "Animal painter" is the more general term for earlier artists. Although the work may be in any genre ...

, depicting cattle in many of his works showing pastoral scenes. As an entomologist, he collected insects on his travels and the beetles '' Nebria vuillefroyi'' and '' Metadonus vuillefroyanus'' were named after him while a few new species were described by him.

Life and work

Vuillefroy-Cassini was born in

La Madeleine, Paris The Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (, ), or less formally, La Madeleine (), is a Catholic parish church on Place de la Madeleine in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It was planned by Louis XV as the focal point of the new Rue Royal, leading t ...

, the son of Charles-Amédée de Vuillefroy de Silly (1810-1878) and Felicie Feuillade (1822-1843). He grew up in the family Château de Fillerval (which belonged to the famous Cassini family) and after the early death of his mother, he was raised by his grandmother. He studied law and enter the Conseil d'Etat in 1864 while also studying art first under

Ernest Hébert Antoine Auguste Ernest Hébert (; 3 November 1817 – 5 December 1908) was a French academic painter. Biography Hébert was born in Grenoble, son of a notary in Grenoble, and moved in 1835 to Paris to study law. He simultaneously took ar ...

(1817-1908) and then from 1868 under

Léon Bonnat Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (; 20 June 1833 – 8 September 1922) was a French painter, Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur, art collector and professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Early life Bonnat was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 ...

(1833-1922). He began to paint realistic paintings from 1867 when he exhibited at the Salon for the first time. He then left his work at the Council of State and spent more time on painting and bought a house at Chailly-en-Bière. He was influenced by the Barbizon school of art after moving to the new house. He joined the Entomological Society of France in 1861 and in 1865, he travelled to Spain with other entomologists and collected insects. The beetles ''Nebria vuillefroyi'' and ''Metadonus vuillefroyanus'' were named after him while he described a few species of bugs including ''

Appasus japonicus ''Appasus japonicus'' is a species of giant water bug in the family Belostomatidae. It is found in Japan and Korea, and has been much studied because it provides an example, rare among insects, of paternal care of the young. With the destruction ...

''. In 1880 he was appointed a

knight of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

. He was involved in the creation of the

Société des artistes français The Société des Artistes Français (, meaning "Society of French Artists") is the association of French painters and sculptors established in 1881. Its annual exhibition is called the "Salon des artistes français" (not to be confused with the ...

in 1881. Vuillefroy-Cassini married Amélie Gélot de Saint-Amey (1844-1901) in 1887 after she separated from the novelist

Albert Delpit Albert Delpit (January 30, 1849 – January 4, 1893) was a French novelist and playwright. Biography Born in 1849 in New Orleans, Albert Delpit was the son of a wealthy tobacco merchant, Jean Adrien Delpit (1806–1883), and Marie Félicit� ...

(1849-1893). He received a gold medal in 1889 during the Exposition Universelle. His health declined from 1890s and he sold his Drouot studio in 1907. His last exhibition was in 1913. World War I caused a decline in his fortunes and he left his Paris studio that he bought in 1882 and lived at Maisons-Laffitte where he died. His burial location is unknown. File:Le retour à la ferme VUILLEFROY.Dominique-Félix de Huile sur toile.JPG, Le retour à la ferme, 1887 File:Alpine_herd.JPG Cattle_watering.jpg Deux_Chiens.jpg, Deux chiens Le_retour_du_troupeau.jpg, Le retour du troupeau Paysan_et_ses_vaches.jpg, Paysan et ses vaches

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vuillefroy-Cassini, Felix de 1841 births 1916 deaths French artists French entomologists