A Painter

Oil on mahogany panel, the work measures 27 cm in height and 21.1 cm in width and was completed in 1855. Meissonier painted the scene of an 18th‑century painter seated in his studio, focused on a small canvas showing a nymph and a satyr. The artist’s period costume, the mandolin behind the easel and the bust on the wardrobe signal his fictional subject’s interest in music and sculpture, placing the picture within the historical genre tradition. The painting was shown at the Salon of 1857 in Paris.

Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier created the oil on mahogany painting A Painter in 1855 in France. The artist, known for his dedication to historical authenticity, frequently sourced accessories from local costume fairs to ensure accuracy in his depictions of 17th and 18th-century figures. The work was first exhibited at the Salon of 1857 in Paris.

Its ownership history began in 1861 when it was purchased by a private collector. The piece subsequently passed through several private hands before the Cleveland Museum of Art acquired it in 1982.

A Painter is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, having been acquired by the institution in 1982. Prior to this acquisition, the work passed through several private owners after its initial purchase by a collector in 1861. The painting was exhibited at the Salon of 1857 in Paris.

The museum's inventory records the work as an oil on mahogany painting created in 1855 by Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier. Its dimensions are recorded as 27.0 cm in height and approximately 21.1 cm in width.

Ernest Meissonier's A Painter (1855) exemplifies his dedication to 17th and 18th-century historical genre scenes, a recurring theme in his oeuvre. The work reflects his meticulous approach to authenticity, often sourcing period accessories from costume fairs to ensure accuracy in depicting artists and musicians of past eras. By portraying a fictional 18th-century figure absorbed in a mythological subject, Meissonier situates the painting within the tradition of meta-artistic representation, where the act of creation itself becomes the subject.

The inclusion of musical and sculptural elements further enriches the narrative, suggesting a broader cultural engagement typical of the period he romanticized.

The painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1857, marking its entry into public discourse and critical attention. Its subsequent acquisition by the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1982 underscores its enduring significance within Meissonier's body of work and its continued relevance in the study of 19th-century French academic painting.

Ernest Meissonier’s 1855 work titled A Painter (French: Le Peintre) is an oil painting executed on a mahogany panel. The piece is part of the European collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art in the United States.