BLONDEL, Merry-Joseph
(b. 1781, Paris, d. 1853, Paris)

Portrait of a Man

1835
Oil on canvas, 61 x 51 cm
Private collection

The sitter in the present painting is thought to be Charles Viollet. While not much is known about Charles, his family is rather well known. His son, Paul, was a historian and founder of the Law Library and his great grand-daughter, Helene Roger-Viollet, founded the Mainson Roger-Viollet, the largest foundation devoted to photography in France.