Karl Girardet (Swiss, 1813-1871), River Landscape with Figures and Cattle

Oil on canvas laid on hard board, signed "K. Girardet" at lower right, presented in an antique gilt composition frame.

Board 9 1/4 x 14 1/4 in.; Frame dimensions 17 x 21 3/4 in.

Karl Girardet was a Swiss-born painter and illustrator who established a successful career in France. He studied in Paris with Léon Cogniet and became a favored artist of King Louis-Philippe, accompanying royal expeditions and producing landscapes, historical scenes, and illustrations. Girardet traveled widely throughout Europe and developed a reputation for carefully observed landscapes and narrative compositions.

Among Girardet’s most notable works is his 1845 painting depicting a delegation of Iowa Indians performing before King Louis-Philippe at the Tuileries Palace. The scene was painted on commission for the king and records a performance organized in connection with American artist and ethnographer George Catlin, who had brought his celebrated Indian Gallery to Europe. Girardet included Catlin himself at the right of the composition, explaining the dances to Queen Marie-Amélie. The painting, now at Versailles, provides a fascinating visual record of the intersection of French court culture, American art, and European interest in Native American peoples during the mid-19th century.

Surface grime and yellowing varnish; no evidence of retouch visible under UV light; some loss to frame.