(Paris 1784–1845)
Portrait of Louis Philippe Léon Haudebourt (1820-after 1850), the artist’s son, signed, dated Haudebourt Lesc(ot) 1832, oil on canvas, 166 x 125 cm, framed

Exhibited:
Paris, Salon, 1833, no. 1215.

Catalogued in:
“Exposition au Louvre”, Journal des artistes, 31 March 1833, vol. XIII, p. 224;
S. C., “Salon de 1833. Peinture”, l‘Artiste, vol. V, p. 194;
Augustine Jal, Les Causeries du Louvre. Salon de 1833, Paris, Ch. Gosselin ed., 1833, p. 165.

Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot’s artistic journey began under the mentorship of the renowned painter Guillaume Guillon, known as Lethière. Though she wasn’t officially allowed to enroll, she followed him to Rome when he became the director of the Académie de France. From there, she regularly sent her works to Paris, where they were met with consistent acclaim at each Salon exhibition. Upon returning to Paris, she earned numerous royal commissions. Later in life, she established a drawing school in her private studio on the third floor of her mansion at 9 Rue de la Bruyère, Paris.

One of her notable works from this period is a portrait of her son, Louis Philippe Léon Haudebourt, painted in 1832 and exhibited at the 1833 Salon as entry number 1215. The painting captures her 12-year-old son, pausing his reading in a park as dusk approaches. Rich with romantic elements, the scene includes a shadowed grotto, a lake with playful swans, and sculptures of a faun and nymph in the background. Her son, elegantly dressed in the latest French fashion, radiates youthful innocence, accompanied by a portfolio of drawings and a book—symbols of his budding artistic education.

This portrait was warmly received at the 1833 Salon, where critics lauded its refinement and emotional depth. Many remarked on the influence of the celebrated English portraitist Sir Thomas Lawrence, specifically comparing it to his 1825 portrait of Charles William Lambton in the National Gallery, London. Haudebourt-Lescot had been deeply impressed by Lawrence’s depiction of the melancholy seven-year-old boy at the 1827 Salon, and this influence subtly shaped her own portrait of her son.