Eugène-Henri Cauchois (Rouen, 1850 - Paris, 1911)

Cauchois was an extremely accomplished painter, the best known out of the three French artists in the exhibition. Born in 1850 in Rouen, he received a prestigious position at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris to study under Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889), one of the most successful and recognised academic painters of the Second Empire. He exhibited repeatedly at the Salon de Paris from 1874, receiving numerous accolades and prestigious commissions (i.e. the floral ‘seasons’ panels that he painted for a school in the VIIth arrondissement of Paris).

More known as a painter of floral still-lives, Cauchois regularly fetches important sums at auctions around Europe. His distinctive style of heavy brushstrokes, thick impastos, and ample compositions make his still-lives veritable cornucopias of varying tones and atmospheres: from his gloriously majestic floral bouquets to his more austere and rich dining scenes.

Notable Catalogued Sales:

• GBP 10,580 – London, 12 June 1997: Anémones dans une corbeille; Anémones et bleuets dans une corbeille, Pair (38.5x46cm).

• USD 29,900 – New York, 22 October 1997: Jeté de roses; Panier de fleurs, Pair (54x64.1cm).

Catalogue Raisonée of works in Museums:

• Louviers: Chez le jardinier; Aux halles

• Louviers (Gallerie Roussel): Fruits; Animaux; Nature Morte; Chrysanthèmes

• Perpignan: Marine

• Rouen: Collection d’horlogerie; La Porte rose 

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Bibliography:

• Bénézit, Emmanuel et Busse, Jacques, Dictionnaire Critique et Documentaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs de Tous les Temps et de Tous les Pays, 1854-1920, 14 vols (Paris: Gründ, 1999), XIV

• Schurr, Gérald and Cabanne, Pierre, Dictionnaire des Petits Maîtres de la Peinture, 1820-1920, 4 vols (Paris: Éditions de l'Amateur, 1996), IV

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