Adolphe-Hippolyte Couveley, originally Couvelet (16 November 1802, Charleville-Mézières27 April 1867, Le Havre) was a French painter and lithographer who specialized in maritime subjects.
Biography His father, , was a well known painter and provided him with his first lessons. He had his debut at the Salon of 1834. This was followed by a trip to Brittany and London in 1835. While in England, he was taken by a bit of Anglomania and began spelling his last name with a "y". The paintings he displayed at the Salon of Dijon, in 1837, were the first to be signed in that style.Pierre Sánchez, Les salons de Dijon, 1771-1950 : Catalogue des exposants et liste de leurs œuvres, L'Échelle de Jacob, 2002 ) His children would retain the spelling.
In 1845, the city of Le Havre asked him to help organize the new city museum, and he became its first curator.Charles Lhullier, Musée du Havre : Catalogue peinture, sculpture, dessins, Maudey et Godefroy, 1887 While serving in that role, he met the young painter, Eugène Boudin, and became his sponsor. In 1851, he was able to obtain a grant from Le Havre that would enable Boudin to study in Paris.Gilbert De Knyff, Eugène Boudin raconté par lui-même : sa vie, son atelier, son œuvre, Éditions Mayer, 1976 In 1859, he was named a Knight in the Legion of Honor.
Despite these successes, his paintings always fared poorly. One had been refused at the Salon of 1841. His "View of Marseille", exhibited at the Salon of 1861, was scathingly dismissed by the painter and critic, .Charles-Olivier Merson, Exposition de 1861 : La peinture en France, E. Dentu Online After that, his financial situation worsened considerably. On one occasion, he was caught putting his signature on some of Boudin's works.Pierre Angrand, Histoire des musées de province au xixe siècle : La Normandie, vol. 2, Le Cercle d'Or, 1985 ) When he died, a large part of his debt was paid by selling the paintings he had loaned to the museum in Le Havre, depriving it of much of its collection.
His works may be seen at the Musée d'art moderne André-Malraux and the Musée National de la Marine.
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