Swiss artist Jean-Etienne Lyotard considered one of the most mysterious painters XVIII century. No fewer legends about his travels and adventures have survived to this day than exciting stories about his paintings. Lyotard's most famous work is undoubtedly "Chocolate Girl". Associated with this picture interesting legend: according to the testimony of the artist’s contemporaries, here he depicted a waitress who married a prince to whom she once served chocolate in a cafe. But about character and moral qualities very contradictory evidence of this person has been preserved...
In Lyotard’s painting “The Chocolate Lady” we see a modest girl, humbly lowering her gaze, probably in front of a coffee shop visitor to whom she is in a hurry to serve hot chocolate. According to one version, which has been generally accepted for a long time, the artist depicted in this picture Anna Baltauf, a well-bred representative of an impoverished noble family. One day in 1745, Prince Dietrichstein, an Austrian aristocrat, a descendant of a rich ancient family, went into a Viennese coffee shop to try a newfangled chocolate drink. He was so captivated by the sweet girl’s modest charm that he decided to marry her, despite the protests of his family.
Wanting to give his bride an unusual gift, the prince allegedly ordered her portrait from the artist Lyotard. However, this was an unusual portrait - the prince asked to portray the girl in the image in which he met her and fell in love at first sight. According to another version, the artist depicted in the painting the chambermaid of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, who amazed him with her beauty.
Skeptics argue that in reality everything was much less romantic than in the beautiful legend. And even Anna was not Anna, but the simpleton Nandl Balthauf, who came not from a noble family, but from ordinary family- all her ancestors were servants, and women achieved the blessings of life by often providing special services in the master's beds. It was precisely this fate that the girl and her mother prepared for, insisting that her daughter could not achieve either money or happiness any other way.
According to this version, the prince first saw the girl not in a cafe, but as a servant in the house of someone he knew. Nandl tried to catch his eye more often and tried in every possible way to attract attention to herself. The plan was a success, and the smart maid soon became the aristocrat's mistress. However, she was not satisfied with the role of “one of”, and she ensured that the prince began to introduce her to his guests and stopped meeting with other mistresses.
And soon the world was shocked by the news: Prince Dietrichstein was marrying a maid! He actually ordered a portrait of the bride from Lyotard, and when he told him about his chosen one, the artist said: “Such women always achieve what they want. And when she achieves it, you will have nowhere to run.” The prince was surprised and asked what Lyotard meant, and he replied: “Everything has its time. The moment will come when you yourself will understand this. I'm afraid, however, that it will be too late." But, apparently, the prince did not understand anything: until the end of his days he lived with his chosen one and died, bequeathing his entire fortune to her. Not a single woman could approach him anymore. And his wife, in her declining years, managed to achieve honor and recognition in the world.
Since 1765, the "Chocolate Girl" was in Dresden gallery, and during World War II, the Nazis took this painting along with other gallery exhibits to Königstein Castle above the Elbe, where the collection was later discovered by Soviet troops. How miraculously the precious collection was preserved there, despite the cold and dampness of the basements, art historians are still amazed to this day.
The identity of the model in the portrait has not yet been precisely identified, but Lyotard’s “Chocolate Girl” seems to fascinate everyone who comes to the Dresden Gallery, and is considered one of its best masterpieces. It is noteworthy that Shokoladnitsa became one of the first trademarks in the history of marketing. It is still used as a logo by a chain of coffee shops.
Lyotard also painted portraits of prominent people of his time - for example, the empress in the 18th century. La Belle Chocolatière, German Das Schokoladenmädchen listen)) is the most famous painting by the 18th century Swiss artist J. E. Lyotard, depicting a maid carrying hot chocolate on a tray. Made using pastel technique on parchment.
Story
The legend about the creation of this painting is as follows: in 1745, the Austrian aristocrat Prince Dietrichstein entered a Viennese coffee shop to try a new chocolate drink, which was being talked about so much at that time. His waitress turned out to be Anna Baltauf, the daughter of the impoverished nobleman Melchior Baltauf. The prince was captivated by her charm, and, despite the objections of his family, took the girl as his wife. “The Chocolate Girl” became a wedding gift for the new princess, ordered by the newlyweds from the fashionable Swiss artist Lyotard. The portrait artist depicted the bride in an 18th-century waitress costume, immortalizing love at first sight. (This is the version - real story Cinderella - was popularized in Baker company booklets).
According to another version, the future princess's name was Charlotte Balthauf, her father was a Viennese banker and the painting was painted in his house - this is what the inscription says, preserved on a copy of the painting stored in London in the Orleans House Gallery. There is also an option according to which it was not a commissioned portrait, but a painting painted according to at will the artist, struck by the beauty of the girl, from the chambermaid of Empress Maria Theresa, whose name was Balduf and who later became the wife of Joseph Wenzel von Lichtenstein. In any case, the identity of the model has not been definitely established.
From a letter
“I bought a pastel by the famous Lyotard.
It is executed in imperceptible gradations
light and with excellent relief.
The conveyed nature is not at all
changed; being a European work,
pastel made in the spirit of the Chinese...
sworn enemies of the shadow. As for
completion of the work, we can say
in one word: this is Holbein of pastels.
It shows a young woman in profile
German maid girl who
carries a tray with a glass of water and
a cup of chocolate."
After leaving Vienna, Lyotard arrived in Venice, where he sold this pastel to Count Francesco Algarotti, who was filling the collection of Augustus III, King of Poland, and Frederick II of Prussia.
In popular culture
The portrait was exhibited in the Dresden Gallery, where it was seen by Henry L. Pierce, president of an American chocolate trading company, and in 1862 the American company Baker's Chocolate acquired the rights to use the painting, making it the oldest trademark in the United States and one of the oldest in the world. world. Often there is an option to use it in the form of a black and white silhouette. Another copy of the painting is in the Baker Company House Museum in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
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An excerpt characterizing the Chocolate Girl (picture)
It looked, I must say, very unpleasant... I had skates with short boots (it was still impossible for us to get high ones at that time) and I saw that my entire leg at the ankle was cut almost to the bone... Others did it too They saw it, and then panic began. The faint-hearted girls almost fainted, because the view, frankly speaking, was creepy. To my surprise, I was not scared and did not cry, although in the first seconds I was almost in shock. Clutching the cut with my hands with all my might, I tried to concentrate and think about something pleasant, which turned out to be very difficult due to the cutting pain in my leg. Blood seeped through the fingers and fell in large drops onto the ice, gradually collecting on it into a small puddle...Naturally, this could not calm down the already quite nervous guys. Someone ran to call an ambulance, and someone clumsily tried to help me somehow, only complicating an already unpleasant situation for me. Then I tried to concentrate again and thought that the bleeding should stop. And she began to wait patiently. To everyone’s surprise, literally within a minute nothing was leaking through my fingers! I asked our boys to help me get up. Fortunately, my neighbor, Romas, was there, who usually never contradicted me in anything. I asked him to help me get up. He said that if I stood up, the blood would probably “flow like a river” again. I took my hands away from the cut... and what a surprise we were when we saw that the blood was no longer flowing at all! It looked very unusual - the wound was large and open, but almost completely dry.
When the ambulance finally arrived, the doctor who examined me could not understand what had happened and why, with such a deep wound, I was not bleeding. But he also didn’t know that not only was I not bleeding, but I also didn’t feel any pain at all! I saw the wound with my own eyes and, by all the laws of nature, I should have felt wild pain... which, oddly enough, in this case there wasn't at all. They took me to the hospital and prepared to stitch me up.
When I said that I didn’t want anesthesia, the doctor looked at me as if I was quietly crazy and prepared to give me an anesthetic injection. Then I told him that I would scream... This time he looked at me very carefully and, nodding his head, began to stitch it up. It was very strange to watch my flesh being pierced by a long needle, and instead of something very painful and unpleasant, I only felt a slight “mosquito” bite. The doctor watched me all the time and asked several times if I was okay. I answered yes. Then he asked if this always happens to me? I said no, just now.
I don’t know whether he was a very “advanced” doctor for that time, or whether I managed to somehow convince him, but one way or another, he believed me and didn’t ask any more questions. About an hour later I was already at home and happily devoured my grandmother’s warm pies in the kitchen, not feeling full and sincerely surprised at such a wild feeling of hunger, as if I had not eaten for several days. Now, of course, I already understand that it was simply too much loss of energy after my “self-medication”, which urgently needed to be restored, but then, of course, I could not know this yet.
The second case of the same strange self-anesthesia occurred during the operation, which our family doctor, Dana, persuaded us to undergo. As far as I could remember, my mother and I very often had tonsillitis. This happened not only from a cold in winter, but also in summer, when it was very dry and warm outside. As soon as we overheated a little, our sore throat was right there and forced us to lie in bed for a week or two, which my mother and I equally disliked. And so, after consulting, we finally decided to heed the voice of “professional medicine” and remove what so often prevented us from living normally (although, as it later turned out, there was no need to remove it and this, again, was another mistake of our “omniscient » doctors).
The operation was scheduled for one of weekdays when my mother, like everyone else, naturally worked. She and I agreed that first, in the morning, I would go for the operation, and after work she would do it. But my mother firmly promised that she would definitely try to come for at least half an hour before the doctor began to “gut” me. Oddly enough, I didn’t feel fear, but there was some kind of nagging feeling of uncertainty. This was the first operation in my life and I had no idea how it would happen.
From the very morning, like a lion cub in a cage, I walked back and forth along the corridor, waiting for all this to finally begin. Then, as now, what I disliked most was waiting for anything or anyone. And I always preferred the most unpleasant reality to any “fluffy” uncertainty. When I knew what was happening and how, I was ready to fight it or, if necessary, solve something. According to my understanding, there were no unsolvable situations - there were only indecisive or indifferent people. Therefore, even then, in the hospital, I really wanted to get rid of the “trouble” hanging over my head as quickly as possible and know that it was already behind me...
I never liked hospitals. The sight of so many suffering people in one room filled me with real horror. I wanted, but I couldn’t help them, and at the same time I felt their pain just as strongly (apparently completely “turning on”) as if it were mine. I tried to somehow protect myself from this, but it fell like a real avalanche, leaving not the slightest opportunity to escape from all this pain. I wanted to close my eyes, withdraw into myself and run, without turning around from all this, as far as possible and as quickly as possible...
Swiss artist Jean Etienne Lyotard, whose “Chocolate Girl” is the pearl of the Dresden collection art gallery, for its long and happy life(1702-1789) created about 400 works. “Holbein pastels” (as Lyotard’s colleagues called him, thereby recognizing his unconditional talent) did not write bad works, but the canvas named at the beginning of the article became a masterpiece of world painting.
Photographic image accuracy
What does "Holbein pastels" mean? Works of the greatest German artist The younger ones are famous for their portrait likeness and exquisite design. But he painted in oils, and pastels were glorified by Lyotard. "Chocolate Girl" is the most famous painting made in this manner. All paintings by the Swiss artist are distinguished by photographic accuracy and the finest attention to detail. One of the art critics compared Lyotard with the ancient Greek artist Zeuxis, famous topics, that, wanting to prove his superiority over the master of realism Parrhasius, he painted such grapes that birds immediately flocked to eat them.
Perfect and fragile
Lyotard was the same virtuoso. “Chocolate Girl” is, in the opinion of this art critic (M. Alpatov), one of those masterpieces in which there is a wonderful optical illusion. A lot has been written about this work, including because it was executed in a manner that is much less common than watercolors, engravings, and even more so oil painting. Artists resorted to pastel less often because of its fragility and susceptibility to destruction with the slightest careless movements, because very few binders were added to the source material - paste (hence “pastel”). Hence the timeless freshness of colors on canvases made in this manner (materials added to oil paints, darken). And pastel works crumble and are destroyed during transportation. Over time, the authors of such paintings came to the conclusion that they are best preserved under glass supported by a mat - a cardboard edging of the canvas on which the work was done. In this case, the glass does not touch the drawing. But these fragile works are distinguished by a bewitching radiance, velvety and specific softness.
Free, imposing, mysterious...
It was in this manner that Lyotard wrote. “Chocolate Girl” is the most famous and, according to many experts, the best work made in pastel, although the artist himself did not distinguish it from anything created previously. Talented and successful, he was known as a master who painted royalty and beauties. Jean Etienne was wealthy and could only afford to do what he loved - drawing and traveling. Lyotard was absolutely free both in life, despite having five children, and in his work. He was extravagant and mysterious, and was patronized by the royal houses of Europe.
Mysterious model
According to one version, beautiful girl, depicted in the painting, is Anna Baldauf, the daughter of an impoverished knight. Noble origins allowed her to be a maid at the court of the Empress of Austria Maria Theresa. There the artist noticed her beauty and grace. According to another, more romantic version, Prince Dietrichstein, having visited, was captivated by the beauty of the waitress at first sight. He married her, against the wishes of the family, and for the wedding he gave his Cinderella a portrait of her in the outfit in which he saw Anna for the first time. The gift was royal, since Lyotard was a court artist, and his works were very expensive. There are other versions about the posing model.
Charming simplicity
The picture is captivating, it fascinates, despite the fact that its plot is more than simple. After the elaborate paintings of, say, Watteau, which depicted flirtatious ladies and gentlemen, the lonely figure of a girl carrying a tray along a white wall looked unexpectedly simple, natural and charming. The canvas, measuring 82.5 x 52.5, is made on parchment using pastels, which the artist Lyotard mastered to perfection. “Chocolate Girl,” written in striking detail with the filigree precision of the objects - the girl just took the apron out of the chest of drawers, the slightest wrinkle is visible on it, the chocolate giver herself seems to be breathing, and the chocolate smells.
Visual aid to physics
Everything about the chocolate girl is charming - her small leg, her back is straight, but not tense, the girl is not emaciated, but slender. The costume is wonderfully designed, the colors are wonderfully chosen. And you have to take into account that the background is only a white wall - no bust or tub of flowers for you. But the lacquered Chinese tray in the girl’s hands, on which stands a glass of water and cups of chocolate, has been of particular delight to art connoisseurs from the moment the painting appeared to the present day. The painting is also valuable because it is the first time that a famous artist with his own long and wonderful history is depicted. But a glass filled with water is designed in such a way that, according to experts, it clearly demonstrates at the border of two transparent media (Snell’s law). This is one of the best praises that J. E. Lyotard deserves. “Chocolate Girl” is considered not a portrait, but a genre scene.
Oldest US trademark
From the moment it was written, fate has favored this work - it has been widely circulated and incredibly popular, including today. Not everyone can boast of this work XVIII century. What's the matter? Since 1765, the canvas has been in the Dresden art gallery, and 120 years later I saw it when visiting famous museum owner of the oldest American concern Bakers Chocolate, which was involved in the production of this product. Henry L. Pierce was fascinated by what Jean Lyotard painted. “Chocolate Girl” becomes the company’s trademark. La Belle Chocolatiere (“The Beautiful Chocolate Lady”) - the logo, approved two years later, went down in history as the first and oldest trademark in the United States and one of the oldest in the world.
A broad and unsurpassed gesture of the USSR
In the Soviet Union, this painting became especially popular when, in 1955, the Dresden Gallery, by the will of N. S. Khrushchev, returned paintings received by the country in the form of war trophies.
Most of the masterpieces restored by the best Soviet masters were exhibited from May 2 to August 20 before being sent, and people from all over vast country They were in a hurry to say goodbye to the paintings, among which was the famous canvas created by Jean Etienne Lyotard, “The Chocolate Lady.”
Jean-Etienne Lyotard and his "Beautiful Chocolate Girl"
To the 270th anniversary of creation famous painting
"Chocolate Girl" can be classified as a miracle of deception
vision in art, like bunches of grapes in a painting
ancient artist, which the birds tried to peck"
M. Alpatov. Academician of art history
Who doesn’t remember one of the pearls of the Dresden Gallery, the elegant painting “The Chocolate Lady,” which depicts a young Viennese beauty gracefully carrying on a tray a fragile porcelain cup with a newfangled chocolate drink and a glass of clean clear water? Painted almost three centuries ago on parchment using the pastel technique, the painting amazes with its painterly skill and poetic freshness.
The author of “The Chocolate Girl” (other names are “The Beautiful Chocolate Girl”, German “Das Schokoladenm;dchen”, French “La Belle Chocolati;re”) is the Swiss artist Jean-Etienne Lyotard (1702 - 1789). He was considered one of the most mysterious masters of his time. Many legends have been preserved about his travels and adventures.
Lyotard was born in Geneva into the family of a Protestant French jeweler, who once had to emigrate to the Alpine republic. He showed a penchant for drawing as a child. He loved to draw portraits of friends, scenes from Roman history, and was fond of miniatures and enamel painting. Having started studying in Gardel's workshop, within a few months he surpasses his teacher. Lyotard masterfully copies paintings by old masters.
In 1725, the artist went to Paris for three years to improve his technique. A few years later he ended up in Rome, where he created many pastel portraits, including of Pope Clement XII and a number of cardinals, this was the beginning of his fame in Europe.
It must be said that Jean-Etienne had two main hobbies: painting and a thirst for wandering, and much of the artist’s life consisted of happy accidents and circumstances related specifically to travel. One day, thanks to his acquaintance with a noble Englishman, Lyotard makes a trip to the East (Messina, Syracuse, Malta, Smyrna, the islands of Delos and Paros), which ended in Constantinople. Here the artist “stayed” for 5 years. He embodied his impressions in magnificent drawings, in which skill and freedom of technique (fancy patterns, lines, sophisticated tones of silver pencil and red-red sanguine) were combined with a documented accurate reproduction of the appearance of the characters, their costumes, the texture of fabrics and even the cut of clothes. People organically fit into the lush decoration of the rooms with an abundance of carpets, draperies, tables, vases, and pillows. True, his oriental beauties sometimes resembled sophisticated Parisians.
Returning to Europe, Lyotard continued to wear a long beard, robe and turban, which earned him the nickname “Turkish artist.” He constantly moved from one country to another, communicated with interesting people, painted their portraits, leaving for descendants a reliable “... external appearance of people who long ago disappeared from the face of the earth.” Synthesis of French Rococo decorativeness and clarity Dutch realism The 17th century in the artist’s work brought great success to Lyotard.
In 1745, fate brought Jean-Etienne Lyotard to Vienna, where in 1740 23-year-old Maria Theresa took the imperial throne, eldest daughter Emperor Charles VI. The Empress rendered famous artist warm welcome and instructed Prince Dietrichstein, a man close to the court, to take care of the guest.
Soon Lyotard creates his Galatea here - “The Beautiful Chocolate Girl” (82.5; 52.5 cm). The unpretentiousness of the composition, the light atmosphere and the almost photographic accuracy of the pastels, after the conventions and mannerisms characteristic of the masters of the 18th century, impressed contemporaries as a revelation. They perceived pastel as a masterpiece on a par with the works of Chardin and Vermeer, with their characters deep in their daily activities. The Venetian Count Algarotti, a connoisseur and lover of painting, wrote in one of his letters about the “Chocolate Girl”: “As for the completeness of the work, we can say in one word: this is a Holbein of pastels.”
Dedicated to Lyotard's masterpiece great amount articles and studies providing a detailed description of it. Here is a small selection of them: “...Nothing special happens in this simple genre scene, but it captivates with its poetic perception of life and great artistic skill. ...Everything here is pleasing to the eye - a pretty girl with an open, clear face and a light gait, calm, harmonious combinations light colors- white, pink, golden brown, gray. ...The girl is depicted against an almost neutral background formed by a light wall and floor.
The artist places her to the left of the center of the picture, as if giving the heroine the opportunity to move forward. The direction of her movement is emphasized by the gesture of outstretched arms carrying an elegant lacquer tray and by the lines of the floor. ...Looking at this picture, you admire how masterfully and accurately the subtlety is conveyed porcelain cup(pastel for the first time in European art depicts the newly invented Meissen porcelain), a glass of clear water reflects the window, and refracts the line of the top edge of the tray.
The texture of velvet, silk, and lace is wonderfully conveyed. Some fabrics fall in heavy, elastic folds, while others, light and flexible, shimmer in different shades of color, softly enveloping the figure. ...The colors of the “Chocolate Girl” clothes were chosen by J.-E. Lyotard in soft harmony: a silver-gray skirt, a golden bodice, a shining white apron, a transparent white scarf and a fresh pink silk cap.”
There is no reliable information about who the artist depicted in the image of the “Beautiful Chocolate Girl”. In the most romantic and most beautiful version, the legend about the creation of the “Chocolate Girl” sounds something like this. One chilly winter day in 1745, Prince Dietrichstein dropped into a small Viennese coffee shop to try the newfangled hot chocolate drink, which was the subject of much talk at the time. The pleasant drink was also considered medicinal, and was served with a glass of water. The aristocrat was served by a young waitress Anna Baldauf, the daughter of an impoverished nobleman. The prince was so captivated by the girl's grace and beauty that he immediately fell in love with her. To get to know Anna better, he now visited the coffee shop almost every day. Despite the strong resistance of the court nobility, in the same year Anna became Dietrichstein's wife and an Austrian princess. As wedding gift The newlyweds commissioned the artist Lyotard to paint “The Beautiful Chocolate Girl.” The master created a masterpiece in which he depicted Anna in the costume of a chocolate waitress, glorifying love at first sight.
The circle of Lyotard’s life closed on June 12, 1789, when “the artist of kings and beautiful women"dies, returning to his homeland in Geneva. He created many beautiful works, especially pastels, but in the memory of his descendants he remained famous precisely as the author of “The Chocolate Girl.”
Since 1855, "The Chocolate Girl" has been in the collection of the famous Dresden Gallery.
During World War II, the painting, along with other masterpieces, was transported by the Nazis to the fortress castle of Königstein above the Elbe in Saxon Switzerland, near Dresden. Here, in a deep mined casemate in flat pine boxes, the treasures from Dresden were discovered by Soviet troops. It is a miracle that they were not blown up during the retreat of the German troops, they survived and did not have time to die from the cold and dampness.
In 1955, Lyotard's pastels were shown at a farewell exhibition in Moscow among other German art trophies before returning to the Dresden Gallery. The paintings were exhibited from May 2 to August 20, 1955. People came from far and wide, sometimes standing in line for days to see the legendary treasures, among which was not lost the modest “Chocolate Girl” by Jean-Etienne Lyotard.
The painting Chocolate Girl in the Dresden Gallery attracts with its photographic precision, clear lines and minimalism. The Swiss painter Jean Etienne Lyotard masterfully worked in the pastel technique and during the Viennese period of creativity 1743-1745. created his own better job. Venetian painters described the painting as the pinnacle of mastery: “the most beautiful pastel you could ever see.”
The portrait of a cute girl serving hot chocolate was created on parchment - treated leather. The painting has medium dimensions: 82.5 cm x 52.5 cm. And although it is located among other paintings, it invariably attracts attention.
How the Chocolate Lady Liotard ended up in Germany
The remarkable work of J.E. Lyotard was delivered to the Saxon Elector Augustus III by the Italian writer and art critic Francesco Algarotti.
Count Algarotti appeared at the Saxon court in 1742. He examined everyone works of art, which made up the royal collection, which gained undeniable authority. Since Augustus III was an active collector artistic masterpieces, in 1743, on his instructions, Algarotti went to Italy to replenish the collection with worthy new items from famous artists.
For about four years, the art historian carried out the mission entrusted to him and delivered 34 paintings to Dresden, among which was Lyotard’s “Das Schokoladenmädchen”.
About the author of the painting Chocolate Girl
Jean Etienne Lyotard is a Swiss artist. Why is it best picture“The Beautiful Chocolate Lady” was written in Vienna, and came to the gallery of the Saxon Elector from Italy? And the reason is simple. Lyotard began his creative activity in Geneva, but at 32 he went on a long journey to the southeast. At first it was Italy, Greece and Constantinople.
Then the artist ended up in Vienna, where he gained the favor of Maria Theresa and worked at the court of the Austrian Empress. It was there that he painted a portrait of a young lady holding a tray with refreshments. When Lyotard moved to Venice again, his interests intersected with Count Algarotti, who acquired the painting for.
Who is shown in the picture
It has not yet been established for certain who posed for the artist when creating the portrait.
There are several versions suggesting that the young beauty could have served at the Viennese court. It is possible that the artist living in Vienna at that time depicted a sweet girl whom he had seen more than once at work.
Some researchers are inclined to the idea that the model of the Chocolate Girl was the daughter of a Viennese coachman, who worked as a maid. But not every maid is honored by artists with a portrait... This is followed by romantic story about how Prince Dietrichstein saw the maid Anna and fell in love with a simple girl. And when she married him, he turned to Jean Lyotard with a request to paint the image that captivated the prince.