Bidspirit auction | Louis Welden Hawkins (1849-1910), 'The

Louis Welden Hawkins (1849-1910), 'The bird-charmer' (Around 1893-1895) - Louis Welden Hawkins (1849-1910), 'The bird-charmer' (Around 1893-1895) Signed 'L. Welden Hawkins' bottom centre and annotated 'La charmeuse d'oiseaux' centre right. Louis Hawkins was born in Germany, grew up near London and in around 1870 he left for Paris. There he began his training at the Académie Julian, where he was taught by Jules Lefèbvre and William Bouguereau.  In 1876, he was admitted to the Académie Nationale des Beaux-Arts, where he was taught by Gustave Boulanger. Although originally painting in the naturalistic style, which brought him success at the Salon de Paris, during the late 1880s he became more symbolist. The current painting is a fine example of Louis Welden Hawkins' fully symbolist period. Depicted is a bird charmer. The association between woman and bird runs like a thread through Hawkins' work: as early as 1882 he presented Woman and Crows at the Salon des Artistes Français, and a later portrait shows his wife embracing a parrot (auction Gros & Delettrez, 2020). Due to its hieratic frontality, tight framing and amber monochrome, the work can be dated between 1893 and 1895. The small, closely spaced and juxtaposed brushstrokes mimic the effect of Italian tempera. This technique refers explicitly to Renaissance art and Hawkins' admiration for Leonardo da Vinci, which is noticeable in the softness of the contours and the woman's enigmatic smile. The model for the bird-watcher was Italian Raffaela Zeppa, the artist's wife and favourite model. He met her around 1890 and their daughter was born in 1892. We thank Cécile Convert for authenticating this work, which is included in the catalogue raisonné she compiled: louisweldenhawkins.com. See the last photo in this lot for the certificate regarding this lot. 55 x 37 cm. With frame 75 x 57 cm.