This distinguished collection brings together a lifetime of drawings by Alexandre-Louis Leloir, distilling the imagination, discipline, and intimacy of one of the 19th century’s most refined history and genre painters.

Across the group appears the full breadth of Leloir’s hand: casual doodles, compositional sketches, rigorous figure studies, and painterly inventions, alongside designs for some of his most celebrated works, including Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (Salon of 1865). Interwoven are lyrical fantasies and tender portraits of family members—Leloir having been born into a dynasty of painters and illustrators, with his grandfather Alexandre-Marie Colin, his father Auguste, his mother Héloïse Colin, his aunt Anaïs Toudouze (née Adèle-Anaïs Colin), his brother Maurice, and his cousins Isabelle Toudouze and Édouard Toudouze (both painters/illustrators), along with Gustave Toudouze (a novelist)—all distinguished figures in the arts—offering a privileged glimpse into the shared creative language of the Leloir household and its extended circle.

A pupil of Colin before entering the École des Beaux-Arts, Leloir showed precocious talent, winning the Second Prix de Rome in 1861 and again in 1864. Though celebrated early for his ambitious biblical and historical canvases, he increasingly devoted himself to genre painting, drawing inspiration from medieval and 17th-century interiors, Dutch models, and Orientalist themes. His works were regularly exhibited at the Paris Salon, earning him medals and, in 1876, the title of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. He was also among the founders of the Société des Aquarellistes Français in 1879.

Never before seen, this collection offers not only an intimate record of Leloir’s creative process but also a vivid portrayal of an extraordinary artistic dynasty, preserved here in drawings of striking immediacy and humanity.