‘Chihuahua on a Velvet Armchair’ by Carl Georg Arsenius, 1888, Académie Julian, Paris, Royal Academy, Benezit

Signed lower right, ‘G. Arsenius’ for Carl Georg Arsenius (Swedish, 1855-1908) and dated 1888.

A late 19th-century study of a Chihuahua seated on a Beaux-Arts style, rust-velvet upholstered armchair and shown gazing expectantly towards the viewer. A rare and early study by this well-listed Swedish animalier and figurative painter.

After attending the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm (1870-80), Carl Arsenius moved to Paris where he continued his studies at the Académie Julian with Jean-Paul Laurens. He subsequently moved to Chantilly, in France, where he lived and painted for the remainder of his life.

Over the course of a long career, Arsenius exhibited widely and with success and was the recipient of numerous prizes, medals and juried awards. A renowned animal painter, he was much sought after by aristocratic patrons, including King Oscar II of Sweden for whom he painted many equestrian portraits. Carl Arsenius is well-listed in all relevant art reference works including Benezit and Thieme-Becker. His work may be found in prestigious private and public collections, including those of the Art Museum of Gothenburg, the Swedish National Museum in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Museum and New York’s Frick Museum.

Reference:
E. Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Jacques Busse, 1999 Nouvelle Édition, Gründ 1911, Vol. 1, p. 477; Thieme-Becker Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zu Gengenwart, Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag 1992, Vol. 1/2, p. 157; Schurr, Les Petits Maitres de la Peinture Valeur de Demain; et al.