Jehan Georges Vibert

Jehan Georges Vibert is known for his cardinals. In richly furnished rooms, red robed churchmen read letters, taste sauces, play with kittens or doze after dinner, and the joke is always gentle. His paintings are small and highly finished, with brilliant reds set against polished interiors.

He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts under François-Édouard Picot, and first showed at the Salon in 1863. He served in the Franco-Prussian War and was wounded in 1870. He also helped found the French society of watercolour painters and wrote a book on the science of painting materials. His witty scenes sold very well to American collectors, including members of the Vanderbilt and Astor families.

Cardinal Reading a Letter is typical. Look at how he renders silk, gilt and porcelain, then find the small human detail that gives the scene its humour.