Leo Herrmann [1853-1927]
France
The cardinal dipping wafers into wine, ca.1882-1888
Oil on canvas
11 x 14 inches
Signed at lower right : ‘Leo Herrmann’.

This may be the painting once referred to as A smack of wine.

Léo Herrmann (1853-1927)

Léo Herrmann (1853-1927) was a French-Anglo genre painter most known for his comical paintings of red cloaked religious cardinals (anticlerical). Herrmann was born July 2, 1853 in Paris and studied painting at the Ecole des Beaux Arts under genre and history painter Ernest Meissonier (1815-1891). He first exhibited at the 1875 Paris Salon, but did not recieve recognition until the 1876 Salon when he showed his painting of two clerics sharing an off-color tale called “A good story”. It was in France that Hermann established himself as a highly successful commercial artist specialising in figurative narrative genre. Herrmann occassionally painted soldiers, dandys, and even cows.

Léo Herrmann died in 1927.

EXHIBITION
1982 The Fine Arts Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, “Spring auction”, June 11-12.
1969 A. N. Abell, Marvin H. Newman, Robert Abell, L.S. Willard, auctioneers, Los Angeles, CA, “The Jean Hardison Owings collection”, November 2-6.
1919 American Art Association, New York, NY, “Sale of the Charles Stewart Smith collection”, April 25, shown “The Cardinal’s Refreshment”, O Bernet agent, $190.
1916 American Art Galleries, New York, NY, “Auction”, April, shown “Taking her measure”.
1906 Mendelssohn Hall, New York, NY, “The Edward M. Knox Collection”, January, shown “The Cordon Bleu”.
1902 Fifth Avenue Art Galleries, New York, NY, “Property of Mrs. Daniel Hoag”, March 7, shown “Old Bergundy” ($1000).
1901 Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, “Paintings loaned by John Moorhead, Jr., Pittsburgh”, shown “Cow.”
1982 Fine Arts Co. Philadelphia, PA, “Auction”, shown “French chef reading Le Figaro”.
1897 Arlington Hotel, Arlington, VA, “Exhibition of Dutch, English, and French schools”, May, shown “The Cardinal” and “A Smack of Wine”.
1897 Brooklyn Art Museum, Brooklyn, NY, “Exhibition”, May 23, shown “The Cardinal”.
1896 Shown “Au Cabare”.
1895 Detroit, MI, “Masonic fair”, November, shown “The cardinal feeding the swan”.
1894 Earles Galleries, Philadelphia, PA, “Life”, December.
1892 California Hotel, San Francisco, CA, “The Van Gigch Art Sale”, May, shown “The Epicures”, $8000.
1890 Henry C. Merry, Auctioneer, New York, NY, “Close out sale – retiring from the business”, April 20.
1889 Walter B. Williams & Co, Washington, DC, “Exhibition of the Ullman collection of Fine Modern Oil Paintings”, March 27-29, shown “Connoisseurs”.
1889 Shown “Le Goûter”.
1888 Union League, New York, NY, “Foreign and native artists”, February, shown “Priest fishing”.
1888 Detroit Museum, Detroit, MI, “Loans for 1888”, October, shown “L’incroyable” and “The Advance Guard” owned by E. Chandler Walker.
1887 [unknown auction house], New York, NY, “The Graves Collection”, shown “Les Incroyables”.
1887 Shown “Au Rendez-Vous”
1977 Shown “Le Scandale du Jour”
1876 Shown “La Bonne Histoire”
1875 Paris Salon, Paris, France, “Salon” shown “A Bout d’Argument [About the Argument]”.

SOURCES
– The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)04 Jun 1982, FriPage 113.
– The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)05 Jun 1982, SatPage 9.
– The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California)24 Oct 1969, FriPage 21.
– New York Herald (New York, New York)25 Apr 1919, FriPage 11.
– The New York Times (New York, New York)01 Apr 1916, SatPage 20.
– New-York Tribune (New York, New York)27 Jan 1906, SatPage 3.
– The Sun (New York, New York)08 Mar 1902, SatPage 2.
– The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)23 Jun 1901, SunPage 18.
– The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York)23 May 1897, SunPage 13.
– Washington Times (Washington, District of Columbia)02 May 1897, SunPage 10.
– Detroit Free Press (Detroit, Michigan)30 Nov 1895, SatPage 1.
– The Wilkes-Barre Record (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania)20 Dec 1894, ThuPage 8.
– Catalogue of Modern Paintings Belonging to the Estate of the Late Charles J. Osborn, the Estate of the Late Edwin Thorne, and to Edwin S. Chapin, to be Sold by Absolute Auction at Chickering Hall, The American Art Association, 1893.
– San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California)18 May 1892, WedPage 12.
– The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York)27 Apr 1890, SunPage 15.
– Evening Star (Washington, District of Columbia)28 Mar 1889, ThuPage 6
– Evening Star (Washington, District of Columbia)27 Mar 1889, WedPage 8
– The New York Times (New York, New York)07 Feb 1888, TuePage 5.
– The Sun (New York, New York)07 Feb 1888, TuePage 2.
– The Detroit Art Loan Record: One Volume. September 1 to November 14, 1883 [|] …, Issue 125.
– The Sun (New York, New York)12 Feb 1887, SatPage 3.
– French Wikipedia.com
Singer, Isidore; Haneman, Frederick T. (1906). “Herrmann, Leo”. Jewish Encyclopedia.
Jump up ^ “Macmillan’s Magazine”. Vol. 50. New York. 1884. p. 95 – via Google Books.
– Zafran, Eric M. (1992). Cavaliers and Cardinals. Cincinnati: Taft Museum. p. 54. ISBN 0-915577-23-2.
– “Leo Herrmann”. Haynes Fine Art. Haynes Fine Art of Broadway. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
– Catalogue of the Private Gallery of Valuable Paintings Belonging to Mr. Edward M. Knox. American Art Association. 1906. Nos. 10 & 48 – via Google Books.
– “More New Pictures”. The Detroit Art Loan Record. H.A. and K.B. Ford (125): 164, 173. 1883 – via Google Books.