Best Friends

Léon-Jean-Basile Perrault prints bring the sweetness and polish of French academic painting into your home: sleeping children, cherubs, mothers with babies and girls with kittens and wildflowers. Perrault was a pupil of William Bouguereau and became hugely popular for his paintings of children, especially in England and America. Our collection of fine art prints includes his children, mothers, nymphs and young women.

About Léon-Jean-Basile Perrault

Léon Bazile Perrault was born in Poitiers in June 1832 into a modest family; his father was a tailor. At ten he entered the city's drawing school, where he won every prize, and at fourteen he went to work for a decorative painter, helping restore the wall paintings of the church of Sainte-Radegonde in Poitiers.

At nineteen a scholarship from the city took him to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied with François-Édouard Picot and then William Bouguereau, who became a friend. In 1861 he competed for the Prix de Rome with The Death of Priam, and from 1863 he showed at the Salon almost every year until his death.

In 1866 Napoleon III bought his painting La Nichée, a picture of children, which encouraged him to keep painting that theme. He won medals at the Salon and at the world's fairs of 1889 and 1900, received the Legion of Honour in 1887, and painted two images of the Republic for Poitiers town hall. The dealer Goupil reproduced his work, and it sold widely in England and the United States. He died at Royan on 6 August 1908.

Style and Subjects

Perrault painted in the polished academic manner of his teacher Bouguereau: smooth, flawless surfaces, soft light and carefully drawn figures. His children have rosy cheeks, curly hair and peaceful expressions, often shown asleep, at play or cuddling pets.

He also painted mothers with babies, cherubs and Cupids, nymphs, and young girls with flowers, as well as some religious and history subjects. Gentle pinks, creams and soft blues dominate his palette.

Famous Works

• The Death of Priam (1861), École des Beaux-Arts, Paris. His entry for the Prix de Rome.
• Meditation (1870), Manchester Art Gallery. A young girl lost in thought.
• Widowed and Fatherless (1874), Wolverhampton Art Gallery. A mourning mother and child.
• Cupid Captured (1886), Detroit Institute of Arts. A captured Cupid, one of his playful mythological children.
• Mother's Happiness (1890), Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp. A mother delighting in her baby.
• Nymphe des eaux (1898). A water nymph from his later years.
• Girl with a Kitten. A young girl cuddling a kitten, a typical subject.

Decorating with Perrault Prints

Perrault's paintings of children and babies are natural choices for nurseries, children's rooms and family spaces. Pictures such as Fast Asleep or Girl with a Kitten bring a gentle, peaceful mood, especially with soft pastel walls.

His mothers and children suit a bedroom or sitting room, and his girls with flowers, such as A Crown of Wildflowers, look lovely in a hallway or landing in gilt frames.

FAQ

Who was Léon Perrault?

Léon-Jean-Basile Perrault was a French academic painter who lived from 1832 to 1908. He is best known for his paintings of children.

Who taught Léon Perrault?

He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris with François-Édouard Picot and then with William Bouguereau, who became his friend.

Why did Perrault paint so many children?

In 1866 Napoleon III bought his painting of children, La Nichée, which encouraged him to continue with the theme. His children became very popular with collectors in England and America.

What is Perrault's most famous painting?

The Little Shipwrecked Boy (Le petit naufragé, 1874) is often named as one of his most famous works, along with his many paintings of sleeping children.

Where can I see Perrault's paintings?

Works are in the Manchester Art Gallery, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, the Walters Art Museum and the Chrysler Museum of Art.

Related Artists

• William-Adolphe Bouguereau: his teacher and friend
• François-Édouard Picot: his first teacher in Paris
• Émile Munier: fellow Bouguereau pupil who painted children
• Victor Gabriel Gilbert: French academic painter of the same era