A Life Between Continents
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Júlia de Cistello was a Portuguese-Brazilian painter who navigated the artistic circles of both South America and Europe. The daughter of Boaventura Gonçalves Roque and Maria Luisa de Labourdonnay, she was raised in an environment where music and the arts were central to her education. Alongside her sister Isabel and her sister Emília, she exhibited at the General Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1879. Following her marriage to Manuel Antônio Gonçalves Roque, she eventually returned to Portugal, where her husband was appointed the 1st Viscount of Sistelo.
After being widowed in 1886, her career saw significant development as she financed her own studies at the Académie Julian in Paris. Enrolling in 1892 and again in 1900, she studied under Gabriel Ferrier , William Bouguereau, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau . Her presence in Paris was noted in the French newspaper Le Figaro between 1901 and 1914.
Exhibitions and Notable Works
Júlia de Cistello was among the first Portuguese-Brazilian women artists to exhibit at the Parisian Salons. Her participation included:
One of her most recognized works is Sous les Pommiers (1912), also known as Under the Apple Trees City in Snow
Questions & Answers
Can I browse Júlia de Cistello's works by color palette?
The By Palettes page groups Júlia de Cistello 's artworks by their color palettes.
Is there a complete list of Júlia de Cistello's artworks?
Every work by Júlia de Cistello on this website can be browsed from the artist's All Artworks page.
Can I study Júlia de Cistello's use of color across all works?
The color profile of Júlia de Cistello 's work is shown on the artist's Palette Genome page.
By the WahooArt.com Editorial Team
Updated Oct. 16, 2026
