Lady and the Lion by Émile Friant

Émile Friant
1863-1932 | French

Lady and the Lion

Signed and dated "E. Friant / 1919" (lower left)
Oil on canvas

A striking and sensual portrait from esteemed French Naturalist painter Émile Friant, this richly-hued oil on canvas entitled Lady and the Lion combines the thrilling majesty of the king of the jungle with the unbridled power of the female form. Punctuated by the sitter’s spellbinding and unbroken forward gaze, this beautiful work exudes an intense sense of passion and celebrates the vibrant depth of oil painting. Friant’s technical precision and observational prowess made his paintings some of the most desirable works of the early 20th century. 

While Friant showed artistic promise from an early age and began his training in France under the tutelage of famed academic painter Alexandre Cabanel, the artist received a travel scholarship in 1885 that allowed him to visit the Netherlands, Italy, Malta and Tunisia. It was during this trip that Friant became influenced by the technique of the great Dutch Masters and Italian Baroque virtuosos and was further exposed to the Orientalist aesthetics artists employed to capture North African cities. All of these disparate influences coalesce in this breathtaking canvas, as the sitter’s evocative gaze recalls the mastery of Dutch portraitists and the sumptuous colors and shadows evoke Baroque bombast, while the presence of the lion imbues the composition with an exotic thrill. 

Friant takes care to render a plethora of different textures and shadows, skillfully painting the sitter’s delicate auburn curls and the rich fur of her feline companion and artfully juxtaposing a transparent drape of black tulle against her soft, exposed skin. Deeply romantic and imbued with a sense of sublime feline and feminine power, this composition maintains a sense of reverence while dabbling with erotic sensuality, carefully toeing the line to create a captivating masterpiece.

Born in Nancy, France, a city that in the later years of the 19th century was becoming a secondary artistic center to Paris, Friant debuted at only fifteen years old at the Nanceienne Salon des Amis des Arts exhibition, an event which both proved his talent and earned him great notoriety. A year later, Friant traveled to Paris to study in the atelier of the famed academic painter Alexandre Cabanel but soon after returned to Nancy to continue working and exhibiting there. By that time, the artist had already become one of the most sought-after portraitists, fulfilling commissions for patrons such as artist Georges Jeanniot and sculptor Ernest Bussière. By 1881, however, Friant returned to Paris and rejoined Cabanel's studio, while continuing to fulfill his growing list of commissions. The artist made his seminal traveling voyage in 1885, later returning to France with renewed vigor for painting after traveling to the Netherlands, Italy, Malta, and Tunisia. 

Friant's successes grew throughout the remainder of his career, adding American patrons such as Henry Clay Frick to his list of distinguished clientele. He continued to exhibit his work to a global audience at international exhibitions, including the Paris Salon. He became a professor of drawing at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1906 and was awarded the rank of Commander of the Legion d'Honneur in 1931.

Painted 1919

Canvas: 46" high x 35 1/4" wide
Frame: 53 1/2" high x 43 1/4" wide x 2 3/4" deep

Provenance: Sale, Sotheby's London: A Private European Residence: French & Neoclassical Furniture, Paintings & Works on Paper, Friday, March 3, 2006, Lot 00414
Private Collection, Sunny Isles, Florida
M.S. Rau, New Orleans