Bruno Joseph Chérier (French, 1817-1880), Self-Portrait

Oil on canvas, circa 1850, inscribed to the verso, presented in a giltwood frame.

Stretcher size 24 1/4 x 19 1/2 in.; Frame dimensions 28 x 24 in.

Literature:
Catherine Guillot, Bruno Chérier (1817-1880): Peintre du Nord, ami de Carpeaux, Villeneuve d'Ascq, 2010, p.35, fig. 15.

Bruno Chérier was a French painter known for his religious artworks and close association with Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (French, 1827-1875). A native of Valenciennes, Chérier attended the École des Beaux Arts in Paris and was a student of André Jacque Victor Orsel and Alphonse Henry Perin. Cherier returned to Valenciennes in 1848 and collaborated with Carpeaux on the interiors for several local institutions. In 1852, Cherier became a professor of drawing at the École académique de Tourcoing.

Chérier dedicated much of his career to painting religious intereriors, particularly in the Lille metropolitan area. His notable works were found in the Église Saint-Sauveur, Lille; the Église Saint-Martin d'Esquermes, Lille; the Église Notre-Dame-de-Fives, Lille; the Église Saint-Christophe, Tourcoing; the Église Saint-Jacques, Tourcoing; Notre-Dame des Anges, Tourcoing; and Notre-Dame de Grâce, Loos. Unfortunately, most of these projects were destroyed during the First and Second World Wars.

Light age cracking and a few associated fleabites along stretcher lines.