Art Treasures of Kinloch Castle: FANTAISIE (LADY BULLOUGH ?) BY LOUIS GALLIAC

FANTAISIE

BY LOUIS GALLIAC

First-hand research

free from scurrilous and salacious innuendo.

Text and illustrations by George W. Randall.

This work by Louis Galliac titled

“Woman taking coffee”

is listed in the

May 1883 Paris Salon Catalogue

of original drawings titled: “Fantaisie”.

On 7 April 1883 Monica Ducarel, (Lady Bullough), celebrated her 14th

birthday with her parents at Caley Hall, Pool-in-Wharfedale, Yorkshire.

On 19 March 1889 Monica married her first husband, Charles Charrington,

a daughter, Dorothea Elizabeth, was born in 1890.

Following divorce from Charrington in May 1903

Monica married Sir George Bullough at Kinloch Castle in June 1903.

Caley Hall, Yorkshire, home of Monica's parents, Gerard-Gustave Ducarel,

4th Marquis de la Pasture and his Marchioness, formerly Miss Leontine Standish.

Galliac's Fantaisie was displayed at several subsequent Paris art exhibitions:

The ornate, gilded framed portrait hangs
between the bedrooms of Sir George and
Lady Bullough on the first floor south corridor of Kinloch Castle. Signed by the artist in the lower left corner the oil on canvas measures
44 x 51 inches (108 x 124 cms.).

Louis Galliac was born at Dijon, France on 25 August 1849.
He was a prolific artist and today his works are much sought after.
He died in Paris in 1934.

The drawing above

is titled

‘Fantaisie’

by Louis Galliac.

It is listed in

the 1883 Catalogue illustré Du Salon

and

1897Catalogue illustré

de Peinture et Sculpture

by the

Société Nationale

des Beaux-Arts

Exposition.

Catalogue des Ouvrages Exposés au Palais des Champs-Élysées le 20 Avril 1897

689 GALLIAC (L) H.C. rue Turgot 3 “FANTAISIE”

An illustrated catalogue of the original works by artists displayed at the Exposition des Beaux-Arts with an alphabetical list of their names followed by circa 380 black and white reproductions.

Paintings from the

Salon and the Champ de Mars, Paris in 1895

were exhibited at the Jordan Art Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, commencing December 1897

and included:

Galliac (Louis) 123 Fantaisie (Woman taking coffee.)

plus ten other works by Galliac.

Louis Galliac's “Fantaisie” was also listed in the May 1883 Paris Salon Catalogue

In 1883 Lady Bullough would have been only fourteen years old.

Therefore the 1883 record of Galliac’s “Fantaisie”
strongly suggests the undated but signed portrait at Kinloch Castle

is possibly a commissioned copy of Louis Galliac’s original ... ... ... ?

Louis Galliac was born at Dijon, France on 25 August 1849.

he died in Paris on 28 December 1934 aged eighty-five.

As published in the Salon de 1897 Catalogue.

Also titled: Le Repos du modéle.

Assessed by a professional conservationist in March 1996 the oil on a fine close

weave linen canvas was found to be in “good condition overall.”

All four corners had “slight cockling.”

Tension was “slack” which had resulted in “some planar deformations.

Several areas of fine drying cracks” were noted particularly “in the flesh painting

and shadows of the sitter's left calf.”

“One local area of unstable paint was noted, caused by finger pressure from the reverse when handling. Staining and streakiness is particularly noticeable

on the right side in the purple drapery.”

The Report continues: “The varnish remains in generally good condition and has not significantly discoloured, but the surface dirt and staining contributes to a dull and patchy appearance.” All work recommended, which also included, adjustment of canvas tension, could be carried out on site.