CHARLES THEVENIN (1764-1838) Mademoiselle Mars portant une robe de soie

signed and dated 'Thévenin 1821' (on the waistband of the dress) oil on canvas Empire-Restoration period wood and gilded stucco frame 82 x 69 cm painted in 1821 PROVENANCE: Family of the actress Anne-Françoise-Hippolyte Boutet (1779-1847) collection of Mr Jagou from 1900, then by descent Gérard Souham, great collector and bibliophile of the imperial era Osenat, Collection Gérard Souham Bibliothèque et objets historiques de Napoléon Ier à Napoléon III, 16.09.2012, lot 43 Private collection Exhibited: Exposition centennale de l'art français (1800-1889), 01 mai - 12 novembre 1900, Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, Paris, n° 632 (not reproduced), p. 217 Literature: Reliures impériales. Bibliothèque napoléonienne de Gérard Souham, Éditions d'art Monelle Hayot Anne-Françoise-Hippolyte Boutet (1779-1847), known as Mademoiselle Mars, was an actress at the Comédie-Française. All Paris admired her talent, her charm and her acting. Napoleon granted her an interview in a gazebo in the gardens of Rambouillet, After which she became his 'protégée' and favourite actress. During the Hundred Days, she wore violets on stage, flowers that served as a rallying sign for the Emperor's supporters.