Janvry, H. de (McKechnie Section 6)

A painter of profiles en grisaille, and of portrait miniatures, recorded by Jackson, Foskett and Long, de Janvry is included in this Section on account of his en grisaille work which is often compared with that of silhouette artists. A Frenchman by birth, de Janvry no doubt learned the technique of en grisaille work in France, where it was popular during the late eighteenth century. He is known to have worked in England from at least as early as 1793 until at least as late as 1800. He may have worked in the United States before coming to England; Long notes a miniature painted on enamel, signed by de Janvry and dated 1788, which was found in New York.

Foskett notes exhibits at the Royal Academy, 1798-1800, sent in from London addresses. De Janvry is known to have been working in 1795 at 3 Cockspur Street, Hay Market, London (the address on his trade card). Jackson records two examples (apparently

painted en grisaille) which bore the words, ‘to be heard of at 32, Lower Thornlough, Bedford Street, London’. De Janvry painted a number of eminent sitters, including royalty. In the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, there is a fine profile portrait of Mrs Fitzherbert. De Janvry also painted different versions of profiles of the Prince of Wales and of his wife, Caroline of Brunswick. The Prince and Caroline married in 1795; de Janvry's portraits probably sold well during the period when the Prince's marital affairs were much in the news. A fine en grisaille portrait of George IV when Prince of Wales, painted on a circular piece of ivory, is in the National Portrait Gallery. Foskett illustrates a portrait miniature, dated 1796; she also mentions that de Janvry ‘engraved stones’.

De Janvry's en grisaille work is painted in pale shades (though less pale than those favoured by other artists) against a dark background (usually a dark greyish-black). (An en grisaille portrait of a Mrs Cotton, however, sold by Sotheby Parke Bernet and Company, London, on 2 June 1975, had a background of Prussian blue.) The sitter's features and clothing are often rendered against a pale reddish-brown base colour, with some overlay of pink tones; this tinting shows up the Chinese white used for extreme high-lighting. De Janvry, however, made less use of the natural colour of the ivory than did other artists who adopted this technique. The reddish-brown and pink hues enable one readily to distinguish de Janvry's work from that of, for instance, Samuel Andrews. Long notes the occasional use of a bluish tint, sometimes seen on the back line added to the bust-line termination to produce a three-dimensional effect. Many of de Janvry's profiles (including cabinet-size pieces, in papier mâché frames) are comparatively small. One profile that I have seen is of a size for a ring. Another is set in the lid of a small ivory patchbox; this example is in the neoclassical style, and may not have been painted from life. Examples set in lockets have been seen.

One trade card (illustrated; referred to above) is known. At least two types of signature have been seen. Sometimes de Janvry used a monogram (with the ‘J’ crossing the ‘H’ of his first name). Sometimes he signed and dated a piece in full; the patchbox which I have mentioned is signed ‘H. de Janvry 1798’.

Ills. 1539-1542