Alfred Guillou, (1844-1926)

Description:

Jeune Bretonne

Circa late 19th century
Oil on canvas
Signed “ALF. GUILLOU.” lower right

A beautifully rendered Breton genre painting by Alfred Guillou, one of the principal painters associated with the nineteenth-century artistic community of Concarneau.

The composition depicts a young Breton woman standing along the waterfront, her traditional white coiffe dramatically silhouetted against the pale atmosphere of the harbor. Dressed in a dark bodice, brown apron, red sash and richly patterned floral shawl, she carries large woven baskets associated with the working life of the Breton fishing community.

Behind her, Guillou renders the harbor in a restrained, almost silvery palette. Sailing vessels, masts and the distant shoreline dissolve gradually into the misty atmosphere, while a large sail rising immediately behind the figure provides a strong vertical counterpoint to her pose. The subdued treatment of the harbor serves to bring particular attention to the woman's delicately modeled face, hands and traditional costume.

Guillou was born in Concarneau, Brittany, and trained in Paris under Alexandre Cabanel and William-Adolphe Bouguereau. He devoted much of his career to scenes of Brittany and its fishing communities and exhibited at the Paris Salon for decades. The Musée d'Orsay records numerous works by Guillou devoted specifically to Breton subjects and preserves his monumental 1887 composition Arrivée du pardon de Sainte-Anne de Fouesnant à Concarneau, now at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Quimper.

The present painting is an especially appealing example of Guillou's naturalistic treatment of the women of coastal Brittany, combining academic figure painting with an intimate observation of everyday life.

Details

• Artist: Alfred Guillou (French, 1844–1926)

• Title: Jeune Bretonne

• Date: Late 19th century

• Medium: Oil on canvas

• Signature: Signed “ALF. GUILLOU.” lower right

• Dimensions: 24 × 18⅛ inches (61 × 46 cm)

• Frame: Presented in an ornate giltwood and composition frame

• Subject: Young Breton woman at the harbor, Concarneau/Brittany

Documented Auction History & Provenance

This painting benefits from an unusually well-documented modern auction history.

Market Context

Guillou's strongest works continue to command significant prices. Recorded auction results include approximately $16,958 for The Mussel Gatherer at Bonhams, $9,775 at Christie's for A Young Girl with Wild Flowers, and approximately $9,673 for The Fishing Lesson at Christie's.

The present Jeune Bretonne is especially desirable for combining several of Guillou's most characteristic themes: a Breton female figure, traditional regional costume, fishing culture and the harbor landscape of his native Brittany.