Jehan Georges Vibert (French, 1840-1902)


Painted by himself signed 'J.G.Vibert' (lower right)oil on panel81 x 101cm (31 7/8 x 39 3/4in).
|ProvenanceAnon. sale, Bonhams, London, 29 September 2010, lot 62.Private collection, UK (acquired from the above sale).The painting of cardinals and other high ranking Catholic clergy became a genre in its own right in the latter half of the nineteenth century and it was one that Vibert fully mastered. His gentle mocking of the leading figures of the Church struck a chord at the time and this popularity has survived remarkably well.