Charles Diodore Rahoult (French, 1819-1874)

Charles Diodore Rahoult, a native of Grenoble, spent ten years painting at the Paris Salon under the tutelage of Léon Cogniet (1794-1922). Cogniet was in charge of the decorations at Versailles and at the Louvre and the influential teacher of Léon Bonnat (1833-1922). The Comtesse de M. commissioned Rahoult to create these panels for her château in Dauphiné. Drawing on the decorative heritage of the eighteenth century, Rahoult looks back to the fêtes portrayed by Watteau, Frangonard and Boucher to depict these idyllic sojourns in the country. Classical motifs are used to describe Spring, Autumn, Winter and Summer as goddesses and their putti enact appropriate activities for the season.