Les Femmes Savantes thumbnail 1
Les Femmes Savantes thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 122

Les Femmes Savantes

Oil Painting
1845 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
Oil paintings such as this with subjects taken from popular literature steadily replaced commissions for history paintings in the early 19th century. The public and most collectors of modern works started to prefer lighter and sometimes more sentimental themes.

Subjects Depicted
Leslie frequently used themes from humorous literature. Here he is illustrating a scene from a play by Molière, Les Femmes Savantes ('The Learned Ladies'), in which the conceited Trissotin reads a pretentious sonnet of his own composition to his admiring audience of literary ladies, the self-styled 'learned ladies' of the title. When this picture was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1845, it was called A Scene from Molière and several lines from the play were quoted in the catalogue.

People
Although Leslie began his career as a history and portrait painter, he soon turned to literary themes. The collector John Sheepshanks (1787-1863) owned 17 paintings by Leslie with subjects taken from well-known authors such as Shakespeare, Chaucer and Molière.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleLes Femmes Savantes (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Oil on canvas, with carved wood and composition frame
Brief description
Oil painting by Charles Robert Leslie depicting a scene from a play by Molière, Les Femmes Savantes, namely Trissotin reading his sonnet (Act III, Scene 2). Great Britain, 1845.
Physical description
Oil painting depicting Trissotin reading his sonnet.
Dimensions
  • Height: 99cm
  • Width: 76.1cm
  • Framed height: 136cm
  • Framed width: 105cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 03/06/1999 by LH
Styles
Gallery label
British Galleries: This shows a scene from a French play first performed in 1672. The frame was carved with motifs that came into fashion only in 1700. Mixing of historic styles was an accepted part of 19th century French Style.(27/03/2003)
Credit line
Given by John Sheepshanks, 1857
Object history
Given by John Sheepshanks, 1857. Painted by Charles Robert Leslie RA (born in London, 1794, died there in 1859); frame maker unidentified.

Leslie was one of many artists who frequently visited Petworth House during the early 19th century and was given a great deal of access to the house and collections. This is reflected in the works he produced, including the present work painted in the Petworth House interiors. The room depicted in this painting is what is known now as the Little Dining Room and the reflected view in the mirror, shows the White Library, which at the time was painted red.
Subject depicted
Literary referenceMolière, <i>Les Femmes Savantes</i>
Summary
Object Type
Oil paintings such as this with subjects taken from popular literature steadily replaced commissions for history paintings in the early 19th century. The public and most collectors of modern works started to prefer lighter and sometimes more sentimental themes.

Subjects Depicted
Leslie frequently used themes from humorous literature. Here he is illustrating a scene from a play by Molière, Les Femmes Savantes ('The Learned Ladies'), in which the conceited Trissotin reads a pretentious sonnet of his own composition to his admiring audience of literary ladies, the self-styled 'learned ladies' of the title. When this picture was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1845, it was called A Scene from Molière and several lines from the play were quoted in the catalogue.

People
Although Leslie began his career as a history and portrait painter, he soon turned to literary themes. The collector John Sheepshanks (1787-1863) owned 17 paintings by Leslie with subjects taken from well-known authors such as Shakespeare, Chaucer and Molière.
Bibliographic reference
Catalogue of British Oil Paintings 1820-1860, Ronald Parkinson, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1990, pp. 166-67
Collection
Accession number
FA.117[O]

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Record createdMarch 25, 2003
Record URL
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