Simon Saint-Jean (14 October 1808,

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

- 3 July 1860,

Écully Écully () is a suburban Communes of France, commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region, central-eastern France. It is a northwestern suburb of Lyon, bordering its 9th arrondissement of Lyon, 9th arron ...

) was a French painter who specialized in flowers.

Biography

His father, Jean-Marguerite Saint-Jean (1780-1815), was a

cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), an alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * "Cooper", a song by Roxette from ...

, who died when Simon was only seven years old. In 1822, he entered the École de beaux-arts de Lyon where he studied drawing with

Pierre Révoil Pierre Henri Révoil (12 June 1776 – 19 March 1842) was a French painter in the troubadour style. Biography He was born in Lyon. His father was a furrier. Although he was needed at home, his family allowed him to receive a proper education. ...

and . He won several contests for flower painting and was awarded a gold medal in 1826. After finishing school, he found a position in the silk design workshop of . In 1834, he had his first showing at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

and was awarded a second-class medal. In 1837, he married Camille Belmont, daughter of Jean-Nicolas Belmont, a wealthy silk manufacturer. At the Salon of 1842, he was criticized by

Théophile Gautier Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rema ...

for a painting of Christ's head surrounded by

eucharistic The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...

symbols. The following year he presented a "Christ with Grapes" that attracted the attention of Baron Scipion Corvisart, the adopted son of

Jean-Nicolas Corvisart Jean-Nicolas Corvisart-Desmarets (15 February 1755 – 18 September 1821) was a French physician. Born in the village of Dricourt (now in Ardennes), Corvisart studied from 1777 at the Ecole de Médecine in Paris, later qualifying as ''docte ...

, who proceeded to promote Saint-Jean's career by introducing his works in the Belgian and Dutch markets. In England, they were acquired by the

Marquess of Hertford The titles of Earl of Hertford and Marquess of Hertford have been created several times in the peerages of Peerage of England, England and Peerage of Great Britain, Great Britain. The third Earldom of Hertford was created in 1559 for Edward Sey ...

. In France, they were purchased by the

Duc de Morny Charles Auguste Louis Joseph de Morny, 1st Duc de Morny (; 15/16 September 181110 March 1865) was a French statesman. Biography Morny was born in Switzerland, and was the extra-marital son of Hortense de Beauharnais (the wife of Louis Bonaparte ...

. The year 1843 was also the year that he was named a Chevalier in the

Legion of Honor 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 ...

.Citation
@ the ''

Base Léonore ''Base Léonore'', or the Léonore database, is a French database that lists the records of the members of the National Order of the Legion of Honor. The database lists the records of those inducted into the Legion of Honor The National Or ...

'' In 1845,

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics ...

saw his exhibit at the Salon and was highly critical, referring to his works as "dining room paintings". The following year, Baudelaire criticized him again, for using too much yellow. He presented six paintings at the

Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition that took ...

of 1851 in London. His wife died in 1855, plunging him into a deep depression, which remained despite his successes that year. These included being named a Chevalier in the Order of Leopold, which came with being named a member of the

Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium The Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium ( , sometimes referred to as ' ) is the independent learned society of science and arts of the French Community of Belgium. One of Belgium's numerous academies, it is the French-speak ...

, followed by a Salon showing in which he received the second-class medal but, by a decision of the Minister of State,

Achille Fould Achille Marcus Fould (17 November 18005 October 1867) was a French financier and politician who was four times minister of finance between 1849 and 1867. A major figure of the Second French Empire, his politics have been described as "conservativ ...

, was given a first-class medal instead.

Gallery

La Jardiniere, 1837.jpg, The Gardener, 1837 Simon Saint-Jean - Offering to the Virgin - 1842.jpg, Offering to the Virgin, 1842 File:Simon Saint-Jean (1808-1860) - Flowers and Fruit - P569 - The Wallace Collection.jpg, Flowers and Fruit, 1848 File:Le Bouquet).jpg, The Bouquet, 1849 File:Simon Saint-Jean - Die neue Masche.jpg, The New Bow, 1860

References

External links

More works by Saint-Jean
@ ArtNet
Saint-Jean, Simon
@ the Base Joconde. {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Jean, Simon 1808 births 1860 deaths 19th-century French painters Flower paintings Recipients of the Legion of Honour Artists from Lyon

Biography

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links