ZACHARIE CHARLES LANDELLE(Laval 1821–1908 Chennevières–sur–Marne)Portrait of an Armenian woman.Oil on canvas.Signed lower left: Ch Landelle.48.6 × 33.2 cm.Provenance:Swiss private collection.The French Orientalist painter Zacharie Charles Landelle is known for his portraits and figure paintings. He studied under the painter of historical subjects Paul Delaroche (1797–1856) and the talented portraitist Ary Scheffer (1795–1858) at the École des Beaux-arts in Paris, and began his training by copying Old Master paintings in the Louvre. In order to earn a living, he began painting portraits, which became especially popular. Some of his portraits were presented in an exhibition at the Salon of 1841, where they attracted the attention of King Louis-Philippe I (1773–1850). Soon thereafter, he was appointed official court painter. From 1865, he made several trips to the Middle East and North Africa.Landelle’s approach to figure painting was marked less by ethnographical interests than by emotional ones, as evidenced by the present work. This portrait of an Armenian woman, which is a smaller version of a painting in the Wallace Collection in London (ill.1), is remarkable for its precise execution. The two paintings differ only slightly, namely in the details of the jewellery and clothing: the bracelet in the present work is made of white materials, while in the larger painting it is darker. Casimir Stryienski, author of the 1911 Paris publication, Une carrière d'artiste au XIXe siècle, Charles Landelle, 1821–1908, also reported in 1910 the existence of ‘other, unspecified half-length versions’ of this painting, which probably includes ours. Both paintings were most likely created in Paris using models in costume, before Landelle’s travels to the Middle East.We are grateful to Richard Green for his scholarly support in cataloguing this painting.---------------ZACHARIE CHARLES LANDELLE(Laval 1821–1908 Chennevières–sur–Marne)Bildnis einer Armenierin.Öl auf Leinwand.Unten links signiert: Ch Landelle.48,6 × 33,2 cm.Provenienz:Schweizer Privatbesitz.Zacharie Charles Landelle, ein französischer Künstler und Orientalist, ist bekannt für seine Porträt- und Figurendarstellungen. Unter dem Historienmaler Paul Delaroche (1797–1856) und dem begabtem Porträtisten Ary Scheffer (1795–1858) studierte er an der École des Beaux-arts und übte sich zunächst im Kopieren Alter Meister im Louvre. Um seinen Lebensunterhalt bestreiten zu können, begann er mit dem Malen von Porträts, die auf breites Interesse stiessen und in einer ersten Ausstellung am Salon von 1841 präsentiert wurden, wo sie die Aufmerksamkeit König Louis-Philippe I. (1773–1850) auf sich zogen. Schon bald wurde er zum offiziellen Hofmaler ernannt. Ab 1865 begab er sich auf mehrere Reisen in den Orient und nach Nordafrika.Die Figurendarstellungen Landelles zeichnen sich weniger durch ethnografische als v