Portrait de Marie-Jean Héreult de Séchelles, député à la Convention (detail), Jean Louis Lous Titon La Neuville,  Salon of 1793 – Musée Carnavalet.

Introduction

Jean Louis Titon Laneuville (La Neuville, de la Neuville), the painter and art expert, has consistently been depicted as a relatively minor figure in standard Géricault scholarship, footnoted for providing Géricault with a personal letter of introduction for his trip to Italy in the fall of 1816, and discussed only in his professional capacity as an expert, appraiser, and collector in sales of art connected to Théodore Géricault in the 1820’s and after, when mentioned at all.  We now have clear evidence, however, confirming that Jean Louis Titon Laneuville was a far more important figure in the artist’s life than standard Géricault scholarship has allowed. In this short article, we examine the documents placing Laneuville alongside Géricault family members residing and working at the Hôtel de Longueville in Paris during Thédore Géricault’s formative years.

Laneuville-Caruel Sub-lease 1800

24 Thermidor An 8 – Sous bail Les Interessés en la maison Longueville au Cn. Laneuville (detail: 1800, August 12.) Image courtesy of the Archives Nationales (France) MC/ET/XIX/918.

On August 12, 1800, Jean Louis Titon La Neuville (Laneuville, de la Neuville), the painter and art expert, renewed his lease at the Hôtel de Longueville for six to nine years. The individual signing on behalf of the ‘interessées‘ controlling the Hôtel de Longueville was Jean Baptiste Caruel, Théodore Géricault’s maternal uncle and a partner in the family tobacco manufactory located on the property. We do not know precisely when Jean Louis Titon Laneuville first moved into the Hôtel de Longueville, but we can place the painter alongside Géricault’s relatives there in Year 7 (1798-9) at the latest.

The Salon Catalogue of 1791 for Laneuville places the painter on the rue Croix des Petits-Champs at n.°4,” (p. 66). The Salon Catalogue of 1793 also situates Lanueville on the rue Croix des Petits-Champs, but this time at n.° 19. (Descriptions des ouvrages de peinture et dessins, sculpture, architecture et gravure exposes au Sallon du Louvre, Paris: Veuve Hérissant, 1793, p. 90.)

In Year 7, however, the Salon Catalogue entry for Laneuville situates Laneuville at the Hôtel de Longueville: “Item 237 – Portrait d’un enfant by Laneuville, (J.-L.), élève de David. maison Longueville, rue Thomas, (p.39.) The Almanach du Commerce…Pour L’An VII (1798-9) also confirms Laneuville was then residing at the Hôtel de Longueville: “Laneuville (J.L.) (él. de David. port.), maison Longueville, rue Thomas.” (Pt. II, p. 227) In the Almanach du Commerce of Year 10 (1802-3) his entry reads: “Laneuville, (portrait) R.S. Nicaise, Hôtel Longueville, 326. – Tuileries,” (p. 190.) A similar entry for Laneuville at the Hôtel de Longueville appears in the Almanach du Commerce of  Year 11 (1803-4) on p. 178.

24 Thermidor An 8 – Sous bail Les Interessés en la maison Longueville au Cn. Laneuville (detail: 1800, August 12.) Image courtesy of the Archives Nationales (France) MC/ET/XIX/918.

Commentary & Conclusion

The lease agreement of Year 8 signed by Jean Baptiste Caruel and Titon Laneuville, and the documents cited above, confirms that Titon Laneuville “Artiste et Peintre” was already living at the Hôtel de Longueville in 1800. The agreement granted Laneuville the use of a number of rooms facing south and west on the uppermost floors of the Hôtel de Longueville. These sources together confirm that Titon Laneuville lived and worked alongside Jean Baptiste Caruel, Géricault’s maternal uncle, and Jacques Florent Robillard and Angélique Morize and their children, Géricault cousins, Amédée-Selim Robillard and his elder brother Pierre for a period of at least five to six years. Géricault’s father, Georges Nicolas Géricault, worked alongside his wife’s relations for the family tobacco business based at the Hôtel de Longueville during the same period. We know, too, that Laneuville painted portraits of Amédée-Selim and Pierre Robillard, sometime between 1796 and 1800. Amédée-Selim was born in the fall of 1792 and was closest in age to Géricault, who was born in late September a year earlier.

In our January, 2020, issue we confirmed that Titon Laneuville owned a valuable collection of Musée Français engravings published by Géricault’s relations Louis Robillard de Péronville and Pierre Laurent from 1803. As we can see clearly now that Titon Laneuville’s relationship with members of Géricault’s family was intimate, as well as professional, and that Titon Laneuville could easily have come to know Théodore Géricault and his family while Géricault was still under the age of ten. Laneuville’s proximity to Théodore Géricault during the first decade of Géricault’s life clearly forces us to consider the possibility that Jean Louis Titon Laneuville was the first professional artist to recognize and develop Théodore Géricault’s budding talents as an artist.

* Edited and reformatted for clarity and style on December 7, 2023.

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