Lot n° 1
Estimation :
50 - 100
EUR
Léon Herlant (1873-1968) - Portrait of the Artist's Daughter - Lot 1
Léon Herlant (1873-1968) - Portrait of the Artist's Daughter Discovering a Book - circa 1900 (2 positive glass plates, 8.5 x 10 cm) This composition from Léon Herlant's studio captures an intimate and tender moment, probably in the late 19th or early 20th century. The image shows the artist's daughter immersed in the discovery of a book, a simple yet meaningful gesture evoking both intellectual awakening and imagination. The girl's gaze, curious and concentrated, seems to lose itself in the pages of the book, while her delicate hands firmly hold the object of her discovery.
In the background, an art nouveau wallpaper adorns the wall, with its flowing, sinuous patterns typical of the period. The organic lines and gentle curves create an enveloping ambience that evokes the fusion between the decorative art of the period and the intimacy of the moment, while emphasizing the beauty of the domestic setting. This setting contributes to the gentle atmosphere and quiet contemplation of the portrait.
The image, produced in two positive photographs on glass plate, testifies to the artist's technical sophistication at the time, as he experimented with different photographic media. The subdued light of the scene highlights the girl's face and gestures, while creating a subtle interplay of light and shadow that gives a sense of calm and reflection. The contrast between the movement of the wallpaper's lines and the figure's silent solitude forms a moving visual balance, capturing the spirit of an era marked by the quest for beauty in the details of everyday life.
This portrait stands out not only for its simplicity and gentleness, but also for the way it embodies a moment frozen in time, between childhood and discovery. The photograph bears witness to a passage of knowledge, an intellectual and sensory exploration, in a setting with Art Nouveau accents that bring a touch of modernity and poetry to the whole. Léon Herlant (1873-1968), a man who was both a scientist and an artist. A doctor of medicine and pharmacology, professor and chairman of the Faculty of Medicine at the Université Libre de Bruxelles from 1930 onwards, Herlant was the perfect example of the spirit of his time: curious, methodical and sensitive to the beauty of the world.
In addition to his scientific work - including a book co-written with G. Billen in 1896, Micrographie des poudres officinales - Léon Herlant was a passionate Autochrome photographer. His photographs reveal an intimate view of nature and everyday objects.
His works include superb snow-covered landscapes, tormented studies of trees, and still lifes of great finesse, where colors burst forth in delicate light.
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