Jean Carolus

Jean Carolus
A lady and her maid watercolour, 42 x 32.5 cm
Born	1814 Brussels, Belgium
Died	1897 Paris, France
Nationality	Belgian
Known for	Painting
Movement	Realism, Romanticism, Genre

Jean Carolus (Brussels, 1814 – 1897, Paris), a Belgian painter of genre scenes and interiors, spent much of his life living and working in France. Noted for his depictions of figures set within interior scenes, he is esteemed for the high degree of finish and jewel-like quality attained in these works.

Life and work

Jean Carolus, born and raised in Belgium, was a protege of François-Joseph Navez, Director of the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. Carolus, however, spent most of his life in France, where between 1855 and 1880 he painted prolifically; portraying elegantly attired aristocrats often engaged in pursuits of a leisurely nature. The artist chose the subject matter of his paintings with great care, focusing primarily of representations of people in the 18th century; French interiors and garden scenes. His style characteristically combines a luminous color palette with the expressive grace and elegance of his meticulously rendered figures.

One of his most celebrated works entitled La partie de billard sous Louis XV (A Game of Billiards under Louis XV), 1855, oil on canvas, 75 x 96 cm, can be seen at In Flanders Fields Museum.

Gallery

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  Jean Carolus, 1889, A Visit to the Studio, oil on canvas, 78 x 95 cm, private collection
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  Jean Carolus, The Recital, oil on canvas, 82 x 105.4 cm
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  Jean Carolus, 1855, Baby's First Steps, oil on panel, 41 x 48.5 cm, private collection
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  Jean Carolus, 1866, A Visit to Watteau's Studio, oil on canvas, 82.8 x 106 cm, private collection
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  Jean Carolus, The Finishing Touches, oil on canvas, 66 x 54 cm
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  Jean Carolus, 1866, The Letter, oil on canvas, 81.2 x 105.4 cm, public collection
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  Jean Carolus, 1880, At the Antiquarian's, oil on canvas, 96 x 78 cm, private collection
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  Jean Carolus, 1880, The Eavesdropper, oil on canvas, 77.5 x 95.8 cm, public collection
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  Jean Carolus, Choosing the Ring, oil on canvas, 83 x 106.5 cm
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  Jean Carolus, The Explanation, oil on panel, 73 x 55.9 cm, private collection
• 
  Jean Carolus, The Recital, oil on canvas, 82 x 105.4 cm, public collection
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  Jean Carolus, 1855, The Finishing Touches, oil on panel, 42.5 x 30.5 cm
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  Jean Carolus, Peeping Tom, oil on panel, 46.5 x 32.5 cm, private collection
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  Jean Carolus, 1855, La partie de billard sous Louis XV (A Game of Billiards under Louis XV), oil on canvas, 74.3 x 96 cm