VIOLET, Pierre Nöel

c.1742 - 1819

Pierre Jean Nöel Violet was born in Flanders on 25 December 1742, the year of his birth of 1749 is widely given but it seems improbable as when he enrolled in the school at the Académie Royale in Paris under Louis-Michel van Loo (2 March 1707–20 March 1771) in July 1766 he gave his age as 23 years which would have given the year of his birth as 1742. 1742 is cited in other sources and accords with his age of 76 at his death. In 1782 he was accepted by the Académie des Arts in Lille, however there were difficulties and delays over his 'reception piece' when he returned to Paris and developed a career as as a miniaturist. He exhibited at the Paris Salon de la Correspondance in 1782 and in 1787, and from where he published his 'Traité élémentaire de l'art de peindre en Miniature' (1788). Although he had been miniature painter to Louis XVI, Violet joined the revolutionary committee in Paris engraving portraits of some members of the National Assembly in 1789 before resigning and settling in London in 1790 as an émigré. He made a living by teaching both watercolour painting and dancing, but Violet soon established a successful practice as a miniaturist, exhibiting at the Royal Academy including a portrait of Marie Antoinette, and at the Society of Artists of Great Britain 1790-1819, he may have been assisted by his friend Francesco Bartolozzi (21 September 1727-7 March 1815), in the engravings of his portraits of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette (1790). Violet married firstly in Paris on 7 August 1770, Marie-Felicite Legesté (contract 20 July 1770) and they divorced on 12 March 1794 and secondly at St James's, Piccadilly on 11 December 1797 Marie Marguerite née Bruet (1769-1851), by whom he had two daughters both born before the marriage, Maria Violet, later Mrs James Brook Pulham, and Cecilia (1797–1880), who married at St James Westminster in January 1815, the miniaturist Louis Ami Ferrière (1792-1866). Violet painted in water-colour including a picture of Landguard Fort, Felixstowe, Suffolk, portraits engraved from Violet's miniatures are those of Hester Piozzi by Mariano Bovi and Gaetano Bartolozzi by Thomas Tomkins. Pierre Noel Violet died at his home at 1 Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square, London on 9 December 1819, and buried at Old St Pancras, aged 76.

Royal Academy Exhibits
from 97 Jermyn Street, St James's, London
1790 314 Portrait of an Artist
         325 Portrait of a Young Girl
         328 The Queen of France
         332 Marchioness of Chablaine
         338 Portrait of a Young Lady
         339 Miss Boulanger
         342 Portrait of a Gentleman
         348 Covetousness
         369 Portrait of a Lady
         370 Portrait of a Gentleman
         371 Portrait of a Lady
from 7 Dufour's Place, Broad Street, Carnaby Market, London
1791 284 Portrait of a Gentleman
         320 Portrait of a Young Woman
         328 A frame with a Portrait of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales (and eight others)
1792 761 A frame and six Portraits
1794 476 Nine miniatures
from 53 Berwick Street, Soho
1795 385 Portrait of an Artist
         386 Portrait of a Young Lady
         440 Portrait of a Girl
         446 Portrait of a Sleeping Boy
         517 A Study
         520 Portrait of a Child
         565 Portrait of a Gentleman
1796 137 Portraits of two Young Ladies
         138 Portrait of a Lady
         530 Five Portraits - miniature
         610 Portrait of a Child - miniature
         658 Portrait of a Child - miniature
1797 496 Portrait of a Gentleman
         588 Fancy
         851 Portrait of a Lady - miniature
         938 Portrait of a Foreign Lady and her children - miniature
         979 Portrait of a Young Lady - miniature
1798 381 Drawings
         464 Cottagers filling Flower Pots
         524 A Drawing
         580 Children Playing
         702 A Drawing
         906 The Chilly Schoolboy - miniature
from 58 Poland Street, London
1799 407 Fancy
         488 Portrait of an Artist, in imitation bronze
1800 446 A Drawing
         558 A Girl tired of Play
1801 780 Portrait of a Young Girl
         797 Portrait of Miss L Morris
         816 Portrait of Miss Burkinshaw
1802
1803
1804
1805
1806 360 Sketch of the Portrait of R. Bloomfield, author of The Farmer's Boy
         738 Portrait of a Gentleman - miniature
1807 614 Portrait of a Lady
         718 A Girl looking out of a Window
         859 Portrait of J. Calkin - miniature
1808 448 A Drawing representing a young girl translating
         709 A frame containing two miniatures - miniature
from 1 Upper James Street, Golden Square
1809 593 A Holy Virgin - miniature
         673 A Drawing water-colour representing children's sports - miniature
1810 464 A Woman Sewing
         519 Maria, from Sterne
         676 Portrait of a Gentleman - miniature
1814 465 Portrait of a Lady - miniature
1815 485 Portrait of a Gentleman
         559 Portrait of Mrs Ferrier
         577 Portrait of Mr Ferrier
from 1 Charlotte Street, Rathbone Place
1817 669 Portrait of J. Pulham, Esq.
1818 672 Portrait of a farmer, aged 102
         801 Death of a Favourite Bird
1819

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Works by This Artist