Description
Jean Léglise (1813–1876) was the mayor of Saint-Martin-de-Seignanx, a small town near Bayonne in southwestern France. A trader in wood, he made a fortune from the construction of the railroad between Bayonne and Bordeaux. Bonnat painted a companion portrait of Léglise's wife, Maire-Augusta-Julie Léglise (1812–1894). The latter portrait, also signed and dated 1868, was donated to the Musée Carnavalet in Paris in 2001.
Provenance
(Hôtel Drouot, sale, March 14, 1973, no. 84, sold to François-Gérard Seligmann) (1973); (François-Gérard Seligmann, sold to Cyril Humphris) (1973-1976); (Cyril Humphris, London, sold to Noah L. Butkin) (1976-1977); Noah L. Butkin, Cleveland, OH, bequeathed to the Cleveland Museum of Art as a result of disclaimer by Muriel S. Butkin (1977-1980); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio (1980-)
Accession Number
1980.232
Medium
oil on fabric
Dimensions
Unframed: 80.1 x 65.3 cm (31 9/16 x 25 11/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Bequest of Noah L. Butkin