Anne Vallayer-Coster

Anne Vallayer-Coster (1744-1818) was a French painter. A talented still-life and floral painter, she gained fame through queen Marie Antoinette's patronage. She is considered one of the most famous female painters in 18th century Europe.

Anne Vallayer-Coster was born December 21, 1744 in Paris. She was the second of four daughters. Anne's family was artistic: her mother painted miniatures and her father was an elevated goldsmith whose works decorated even the royal palaces. Anne became interested in drawing at an early age. Her mother encouraged it and hired her private tutors. She learned from botanical painter Madeleine Françoise Basseporte landscape painter Claude Joseph Vernet. Anne showed remarkable talent and soon became a skilled still-life floral artist.

At age of 26 Anne, encouraged by her tutors and fellow artists, applied for Académie Royale. She was elected a member with an unanimous vote, an extraordinary accomplishment, as only four woman artists were admitted to Academy at a time. With membership, she was allowed to represent her art in the Salon. This she regurarly did from 1771 to 1817. The impressive feat sparked wide curiosity and interest, but Anne was preoccupied with the death of her father. Her mother took over the family business and Anne contributed by selling her paintings.

Despite being admitted into the Academy, she was still restricted by her gender: studies in model and historical painting were out of her reach, and so she continued with still-painting, landscapes and portraits, her trademark genres. Eventually, Anne's works caught the interest of queen Marie Antoinette. In 1780 she was named the queen's court painter. The fact that queen was there to witness Anne's marriage to lawyer Jean-Pierre-Silvestre Coster in 1781 is a sign of royal appreciation she enjoyed.

The queen's patronage greatly helped Anne's career, as it brought fame, recognition and comissions from aristocrats. However, with the French revolution, associates of royal family, including the court artists, found themselves in uncertain situation. Anne survived the chaotic revolutionary era and age of napoleonic imperialism, but her career and reputation suffered from her closeness with royal family. Despite that, she continued painting. In 1804, she produced art for empress Josephine, and continued displaying her art in Salon until 1817.

She died in Paris in 1818, at 73 years of age.
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SOURCES
Biography: mydailyartdisplay.wordpress.co…
                 nmwa.org/explore/artist-profil…
Picture: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia…