Leo Herrmann (1853-1927) was a French-Anglo genre painter most known for his comical paintings of red cloaked religious cardinals (anticlerical).
Herrmann was born July 2, 1853 in Paris and studied painting at the Ecole des Beaux Arts under genre and history painter Ernest Meissonier (1815-1891).
He first exhibited at the 1875 Paris Salon, but did not receive recognition until the 1876 Salon when he showed his painting of two clerics sharing an off-color tale called "A good story".
It was in France that Hermann established himself as a highly successful commercial artist specializing in figurative narrative genre. Herrmann occasionally painted soldiers, dandys, and even cows.
Additional information about the work:
Title: Cardinal feeding the swans
Medium: oil on canvas
Provenance: Christie's London, Date 2010-12-10
Dimensions: 20 cm x 25 cm
Frame dimensions: 33 cm x 38 cm
Condition: very good condition ( cleaned and restored artwork, removal yellowed varnish )
Artist: Léo HERRMANN (1853-1927)
School: Ecole des Beaux Arts
Ref: KS71U95XID