Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot | Genre painter

Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot, born Antoinette Cécile Hortense Viel (1784-1845), was a French painter, mainly of genre and historical scenes.

She was born in Paris to Jean-Baptiste Viel, a perfumer, and his wife Cécile, née Lejeune.

Her mother became a widow two years later and remarried; to Jean-Louis Lescot, a pharmacist.

At the age of seven, she began her studies with Guillaume Guillon-Lethière, a popular history painter and family friend.

When he was appointed director of the French Academy in Rome in 1807, she and several other artists followed him.

They arrived in 1808, and she remained until 1816.

There she depicted the customs and costumes of Italian peasants in great detail, which influenced much of her later work.

During this time, she began signing her works with the name "Lescot".

Beginning in 1811, she sent her paintings to Paris, to be exhibited at the Salon.

Her work attracted the attention of the Duchess of Berry who, in 1816, appointed her to be her personal painter.

In 1820, she married the architect Louis-Pierre Haudebourt (1788-1849), with whom she had a son.

Their home became a gathering place for the artistic and literary elite.

As a teacher, Haudebourt-Lescot's pupils included the painters Herminie Déhérain and Marie-Ernestine Serret.

She died in Paris on 2 January 1845.

Her works may be seen at the Louvre Museum, the Musée des Augustins in Toulouse and at the Musée Jean de La Fontaine. | Source: © Wikipedia

Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot (Parigi, 1784-1845) è stata una pittrice Francese.

Fu un'eccellente ritrattista, ma dipinse anche delicate scene di genere.

Antoinette Cécile Hortense Haudebourt, nata Hortense Viel, prese il cognome del secondo marito di sua madre: Lescot.

Iniziò i suoi studi d'arte a soli sette anni come allieva di Guillaume Guillon Lethière (1760-1832), un artista amico di famiglia e pittore storico assai noto.

Quando costui fu nominato direttore dell'Accademia di Francia a Roma, nel 1807, Hortense lo seguì due anni dopo e rimase a Roma sino al 1816.

Lì descrisse le usanze ed i costumi dei contadini italiani molto dettagliatamente.

Tale esperienza straniera era rara per un'artista donna, e influenzò assai i suoi lavori.

Se compì i suoi studi con Guillaume Lethière per divenire in seguito la pittrice personale di Maria Carolina Augusta di Borbone-Due Sicilie (1798-1870), duchessa du Berry.

Hortensia espose regolarmente al Salon di Parigi, esibendo circa 110 quadri fra il 1811 ed il 1840.

Nel 1820 sposò l'architetto Louis-Pierre Haudebourt (1788-1849).

Alcune sue opere si trovano al Louvre ed a Tolosa, presso il Musée des Augustins, nonché a Château-Thierry nel Museo Jean de La Fontaine.

Morì a Parigi nel 1845 a 61 anni.

Come insegnante, Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot ebbe diversi allievi, per lo più pittrici, tra le quali si possono citare Herminie Déhérain e Marie-Ernestine Serret.