Henriette Rath (11 May 1772 - 24 November 1856) was a Swiss portrait artist who worked in enamel and

oil painting Oil painting is a painting method involving the procedure of painting with pigments combined with a drying oil as the Binder (material), binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on canvas, wood panel, or oil on coppe ...

. She was a pupil of

Jean-Baptiste Isabey Jean-Baptiste Isabey (; 11 April 1767 – 18 April 1855) was a French artist during both the First Empire and the Restoration. Early life and education Isabey was born in Nancy, France on 11 April 1767. At the age of 19, following some lessons ...

and the first woman to be made an honorary member of the Société des Arts. Rath worked and exhibited in Russia, France and Switzerland. Through an inheritance from her brother and the sale of several of her artworks, Rath and her sister founded the

Musée Rath The Musée Rath is an art museum in Geneva, used exclusively for temporary exhibitions. Its building is the oldest purpose-built art museum in Switzerland, and the original home of Musée d'Art et d'Histoire (Geneva), Geneva's Musée d'Art et d'H ...

, a museum of art in Geneva, Switzerland, which remains open to the present day.

Biography

Rath was born Jeanne Henriette Rath on 11 May 1772 in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Republic of Geneva The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva, is one of the Cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons of the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of forty-five Municipality, municipalities, and the seat of the governme ...

. She was the daughter of Jean-Louis, a watch dealer, and Alexandrine Sarah Rolland. Her family was originally from

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...

, France, who took refuge in Geneva fleeing from the persecution of

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

in 1705. Rath began in drawing lessons with Renée Sarasin-Bordier and in 1798 she began as a pupil in France with

. Isabey introduces Rath to the Russian imperial family, who she paints both copies and portraits for. In 1799, she became a member of the committee for the Académie des jeunes filles der Société des Arts in Geneva. She taught young women to draw alongside Louise-Françoise Mussard,

Élisabeth Terroux Élisabeth Terroux (1759–1822) was a French-Swiss painter from the Republic of Geneva, active in Imperial Russia. Terroux was born in Geneva and trained under . She became a popular miniature painter and travelled to Russia where she was active ...

and

Jeanne-Pernette Schenker-Massot Jeanne-Pernette Schenker-Massot, often referred to simply as Pernette Massot (November 13, 1761 – January 17, 1828), was a Swiss miniaturist, pastellist, and engraver. Born in Geneva, Schenker-Massot was the elder sister of the painter Firmi ...

, all of whom were miniatrists like Rath. In 1801, she was the first woman made an honorary member of the Société des Arts. In 1810, she travelled to Russia with her brother, Simon. In 1813, she painted for

Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (23 September 1781 – 12 August 1860), also known as Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia (), was a German princess of the ducal house of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (after 1826, the house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) ...

in Bern. She then travelled on to Italy (1815) and Lyon. 100elles-20190525-Rue Jeanne-Henriette RATH-Rue de la Corraterie Large

In 1826, she and her sister Jeanne Françoise founded the

, using an inheritance from their brother Simon, who was a lieutenant general in the Russian service and died in 1819, and from the sale of several of Henriette Rath's paintings. In 1851, the Musée Rath came under the ownership of the City of Geneva against their wishes and has remained to the present day. GraveHenrietteRath-CimetiereDesRoisGeneva RomanDeckert30052022

GraveHenrietteRath-CimetiereDesRoisGeneva RomanDeckert30052022

Rath died in Geneva on 24 November 1856. She is buried in

Cimetière des Rois The Cimetière des Rois (French: ''Cemetery of Kings'') (officially Cimetière de Plainpalais) is a cemetery in Geneva, Switzerland. The cemetery is commonly named after la ''rue des Rois'' (French: ''Kings' Street'') near which it is situated. T ...

with her brother, Simon.

Artworks

Rath was a portrait painter that produced enamels, miniatures and oil paintings. She exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1801, 1809 and 1810. From 1816 to 1851, she exhibited regularly in Société des Arts. She also exhibited in Geneva, Zurich and Bern. Several of her portraits were also reproduced as engravings. File:Abraham Constantin.jpg,

Abraham Constantin Abraham Constantin (1 December 1785 – 10 March 1855), a Swiss enamel painter, was born at Geneva. He became a pupil of Gérard, after whom he executed many works in enamel and on porcelain, among which may be mentioned, 'Belisarius,' 'Cupid and ...

by Henriette Rath File:Paul-Henri Mallet.jpg, Engraving of Paul Henri Mallet by Henriette Rath File:Paul Henri Mallet.jpg, Paul Henri Mallet engraving based on portrait by Henriette Rath File:Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (par Eisenhardt).jpg,

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (; ; ; 12 January 1746 – 17 February 1827) was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach. He founded several educational institutions both in German- and French-speaking ...

(for Eisenhardt) after Jules Hébert, after Henriette Rath File:Aug. Pyr. de Candolle (BM 1954,1103.384).jpg, Portrait of

Augustin-Pyramus de Candolle Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...

by Henriette Rath

Legacy

In 2019, Rue de la Corraterie in Geneva was renamed Rue Jeanne-Henriette Rath as part of the 100Elles initiative.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rath, Henriette 1772 births 1856 deaths 18th-century artists from the Republic of Geneva 19th-century artists from the Republic of Geneva Swiss people of French descent 19th-century Swiss women painters Swiss enamellers 18th-century enamellers 19th-century enamellers Swiss portrait painters