Question 1

Where can I see Paul Delaroche's work?

Accepted Answer

Paul Delaroche's paintings can be found in many galleries and museums in Europe and North America. For example, the Musée du Louvre in Paris holds his *Apollo and Daphne*. Other museums in Paris that hold works by Delaroche are the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Outside of France, Delaroche's work can be viewed at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, and the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. In the United States, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York owns paintings by Delaroche, as does the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. These are only some of the public collections that hold his paintings.

Question 2

What should I know about Paul Delaroche's prints?

Accepted Answer

Paul Delaroche paintings were often reproduced as prints, increasing public awareness of his work. He had an arrangement with the print publisher Adolphe Goupil to produce and publish engravings after his paintings.

For large paintings, such as *Lady Jane Grey*, *The Children of Edward IV*, and *Joan of Arc*, Delaroche painted a reduced-scale copy. The engraving could then be made from this smaller version. It is possible that the painting of *Lady Jane Grey* now in the collection of the Guildhall Art Gallery, London, is the reduced-scale copy used for the print.

The engraving of *Lady Jane Grey* was created by Mercurij, one of several engravers who worked for Goupil. The engraving was started in 1834 but was not completed until 1857, after Delaroche's death. Several of Delaroche's paintings, including *Children of Edward IV*, were reproduced by lithography.

Question 3

Why are Paul Delaroche's works important today?

Accepted Answer

Paul Delaroche (1797-1856) was a French painter who achieved considerable recognition during the July Monarchy. A student of Antoine-Jean Gros, he later inherited Gros's studio and became a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts. His studio became one of the most popular of the period; pupils included Jean-Léon Gérôme, Charles-François Daubigny, Jean-François Millet, Adolphe Monticelli, and Thomas Couture.

Delaroche's paintings often depicted subjects from French and English history. His work, The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, was a success at the Salon exhibition of 1834. The painting presents a moment of dramatic tension, appealing to popular taste without being repulsive. Delaroche undertook detailed research for his painting projects, sometimes using model rooms with wax figures to aid composition.

Delaroche also received commissions to decorate public spaces. In 1837, he was commissioned to decorate the apse of the École des Beaux-Arts with a cycle of artists since antiquity, known as the Hemicycle. For this work, he used the ancient encaustic technique, applying hot melted wax to the plaster to create a smooth, damp-resistant surface.

Question 4

What techniques or materials did Paul Delaroche use?

Accepted Answer

Paul Delaroche, a figure in French academic painting during the July Monarchy, employed specific techniques and materials in his artistic practice. His painting method in early 19th-century France involved a sequence of steps. Initially, drawings were prepared, and the composition was outlined on the prepared canvas. Modelling was indicated using a reddish-brown "sauce".

Local colour, light, and shade were then applied. This initial sketch was elaborated upon using a range of tones. The final stage involved refining this process. Delaroche also used small model rooms with wax figures to aid in composition.

For "The Execution of Lady Jane Grey", Delaroche undertook detailed research. A small watercolour study exists, showing differences from the final painting, particularly in colour. He also made numerous drawings for individual elements; two studies survive, one in the Louvre and another in the British Museum.

Delaroche's palette included lead white, ochres, Cassel earth, charcoal, cobalt blue, and red lake pigments. He used cochineal for crimson glazes and a varnish medium, possibly vernis des Anglais, for glazes. Surprisingly, the red in the executioner's tights was a mix of two red lake pigments, vermilion, and lead white. His technique involved painting a grisaille version first, then adding colour.

Question 5

Who did Paul Delaroche influence?

Accepted Answer

Paul Delaroche, a prominent figure in French academic painting, had a notable impact on subsequent artists. As a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts from 1833, his studio became a hub for aspiring painters. Among his pupils were Jean-Léon Gérôme, Charles-François Daubigny, Jean-François Millet, Adolphe Monticelli, and Thomas Couture; Couture himself later taught Édouard Manet.

Delaroche's influence extended beyond his direct students. His historical paintings, known for their meticulous detail and theatrical presentation, appealed to the sensibilities of the time. His work decorating the apse of the École des Beaux-Arts, called the Hemicycle, served as a model of allegorical fresco painting for artists from various countries for decades. The German artist Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld employed Delaroche's encaustic technique for wall paintings in the Residence in Munich.

Question 6

What is Paul Delaroche's most famous work?

Accepted Answer

Paul Delaroche was a French painter (1797-1856) who achieved considerable success during the July Monarchy. He is known for historical paintings that blended aspects of Classicism and Romanticism.

Delaroche's The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, completed in 1833, proved very popular when exhibited at the Salon in 1834. Its appeal lay in the combination of a dramatic, emotionally charged subject from English Tudor history, depicted with apparent accuracy, which touched public sensibilities without causing disgust. The painting shows the moment immediately before Lady Jane's beheading.

The popularity of The Execution of Lady Jane Grey led Delaroche to produce a reduced-scale copy, possibly the one now held in the Guildhall Art Gallery in London. This smaller version would have assisted Adolphe Goupil's print publishers with making an engraving. Work began on the engraving in 1834, but it was not completed until 1857, a year after Delaroche's death.

Another noted work is The Death of the Sons of King Edward in the Tower (1831). Its theatrical nature inspired Casimir Delavigne to write a tragedy with a stage set closely based on Delaroche's painting.

Question 7

What style or movement did Paul Delaroche belong to?

Accepted Answer

Paul Delaroche (1797-1856) occupies a position between the Neoclassical and Romantic movements in French painting. During the July Monarchy of Louis Philippe (who took the throne in 1830), official art steered a middle course between Classicism and Romanticism. It combined the careful composition of the former with the emotional content of the latter. This approach, described as the *juste milieu*, has been called the art of the bourgeoisie. Delaroche was one of its most successful exponents.

After training with Louis-Etienne Watelet and Constant Desbordes, Delaroche entered the studio of Antoine-Jean Gros, a student of David. Delaroche achieved early success at the Salon. His painting *The Execution of Lady Jane Grey*, completed in 1833, was well received at the 1834 Salon exhibition. Delaroche undertook exhaustive research for his historical paintings. Some critics found his work theatrical; he used model rooms and wax figures to assist with composition.

Question 8

What was Paul Delaroche known for?

Accepted Answer

Paul Delaroche (1797-1856) was a French painter who achieved considerable recognition during the July Monarchy. A student of Antoine-Jean Gros, he later inherited Gros's studio in 1833 and became a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts. His studio became one of the busiest of the period; his pupils included Jean-Léon Gérôme, Charles-François Daubigny, Jean-François Millet, Adolphe Monticelli, and Thomas Couture.

Delaroche's paintings often depicted subjects from French and English history. His 1833 work, *The Execution of Lady Jane Grey*, gained significant attention at the Salon exhibition of 1834. The painting's dramatic tension appealed to popular taste. Delaroche undertook exhaustive research before starting any painting project. He also used small model rooms, within which he arranged wax figures to assist in the composition of his paintings. In 1837, Delaroche received a commission to decorate the apse of the École des Beaux-Arts with a cycle of artists since Antiquity, known as the Hemicycle.

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🇧🇪 Belgium

Paul Delaroche prints

🇫🇷 France

Louvre

Condé Museum

Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon

Musée Magnin

🇩🇪 Germany

Museum der bildenden Künste

Luxembourg

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🇵🇱 Poland

🇷🇺 Russia

Hermitage Museum

🇨🇭 Switzerland

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Wallace Collection

Royal Collection

National Gallery

Walker Art Gallery

🇺🇸 United States

Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Walters Art Museum

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