Thomas Pritchard Rossiter (1818-1871), “A Studio Reception, Paris,” 1841, oil on canvas, 1841; 32 by 39 5/8 inches unframed, 42 3/4 by 49 3/4 inches in original gilt frame; gift of Miss Ellen W. Boyd, cousin of the artist, Albany Institute of History and Art.

The Musee de Louvre in Paris has borrowed the painting “A Studio Reception, Paris” by Thomas Prichard Rossiter, from the Albany Institute of History and Art for display in its exhibition “American Artists and the Louvre.” This exhibition, organized jointly by the Louvre and the Terra Foundation for American Art in Chicago, opened on June 14 and continues through September 18. The exhibition features a selection of 30 masterworks of American painting.

Rossiter (1818-1871) a second-generation Hudson River School artist, painted “A Studio Reception, Paris” in 1841, set in the artist’s Paris studio at 3, rue de Savoie. It was first exhibited in 1841 at the Apollo Association in New York City under its original title, “The Artists Conversaziones.”

Rossiter’s composition depicts a gathering of nine men around a painter at his easel, as well as two women. It is acknowledged that the men represent fellow American artists in Paris, who often visited Rossiter at his studio, although not all at one time.

Based on a journal entry from John Frederick Kensett, researcher John F. McGuigan Jr has identified seven of the ten men as fellow American artists Asher B. Durand, Rossiter, Francis W. Edmonds, James E. Freeman, Steven A. Schoff, Frederick Kensett and G.P.A. Healy (as well as Healy’s wife Louisa Healy). It is speculated that the three other men are American artists Thomas Cole, Daniel Huntington and James DeVeaux, friends of Rossiter’s not present in Paris at the time. The unidentified blonde woman is most likely a model, possibly posing for the portrait.

It has been wondered why Rossiter did not identify the individuals in his painting. Most likely Rossiter’s goal was not to portray a certain situation, but to capture the spirit and camaraderie of American artists studying in Paris.

Ellen W. Boyd, a cousin of Rossiter’s, donated the painting and its original gilt frame to the Albany Institute in 1916. Due to its poor condition, the original frame was removed in the early 1960s and replaced with a modern gold painted frame. The frame is considered to be a “transitional frame” due to the fact that fashionable frame styles between the 1840s and 1870s changed about every five years.

The wood frame, decorated with applied composition and gilded, has elaborate ornamental corners and sweeping curves. After much restoration by Williamstown Art Conservation Center, it put back into its rightful place, framing “A Studio Reception, Paris.”

Among the artists featured in the “American Artists & the Louvre” exhibition are Mary Cassatt, Samuel Morse, James Whistler and Hudson River School painters Thomas Cole, John Vanderlyn and Edward Hopper. “American Artists and the Louvre” is the first exhibition at the Louvre to be devoted in its entirety to American artists.

For more information on the exhibit, www.louvre.fr.