logo

Eyes to behold stunning artworks in world-class museums.

From 1804 To 1818

5 min read
From 1804 To 1818

The art history of the 19th century is marked by a number of important trends, including the rise of Romanticism, the development of Realism, and the growth of the avant-garde. This period saw a number of important artists, including Eugène Delacroix, J.M.W. Turner, Gustave Courbet, and Édouard Manet.

Joseph-Antoine Moltedo (born 1775)

French, Montauban 1780–1867 Paris / The Met

    This painting is a portrait of Corsican by birth, Moltedo, who was an enterprising businessman and inventor, agent to the French clergy at the Vatican, and director of the Roman post office from 1803 until 1814.
    The painting was painted during one of the most productive periods of Ingres's nascent career, and belongs to a series of commissions he received from French officials in Napoleonic Rome.
    They are distinguished by the inclusion of Roman views as backdrops - in this case the Appian Way and the Colosseum - as well as by stormy gray skies, a Romantic conceit that serves as a foil to the calm and secure expressions of the men portrayed.

Perseus with the Head of Medusa

Italian, Possagno 1757–1822 Venice / The Met

    This Perseus, purchased by Countess Valeria Tarnowska of Poland, is a replica of Canova's famed marble of Perseus in the Vatican, conceived about 1790 and first shown in 1801.
    Based freely on the Apollo Belvedere, which had been carried off to Paris under Napoleon, it was bought by Pope Pius VII and placed upon the pedestal where the Apollo had formerly stood.
    In the Museum's version, Canova has refined the ornamental details and aimed for a more lyrical effect than in the Vatican Perseus, a stylistic streamlining characteristic of his artistic process.
    This Perseus, purchased by Countess Valeria Tarnowska of Poland, is a replica of Canova's famed marble of Perseus in the Vatican, conceived about 1790 and first shown in 1801.
    Based freely on the Apollo Belvedere, which had been carried off to Paris under Napoleon, it was bought by Pope Pius VII and placed upon the pedestal where the Apollo had formerly stood.

Plate (from the "Vues Diverses" service)

French, 1740–present / The Met

    The painting illustrates a combat near the ruined tombs of Baalbek in the mountains of Syria.
    The scene was adapted by Le Bel from a drawing by the peripatetic Louis-Francois Cassas (1756 - 1827), whose travels took him from northern Europe to Istria, Constantinople, Asia Minor, and Egypt.
    Casas spent nearly a month in Baalbek in 1785, and his views were etched and engraved for his "Voyage Pittoresque de la Syrie," published in 1799.
    Our plate comes from a set of "views diverses "and is one of only two in the series to depict a scene outside France.
    The service was begun during the Napoleonic period but was completed in 1816, when it was delivered to Louis XVIII.

Waterfall at Mont-Dore

French, Paris 1796–1822 Paris / The Met

    This painting depicts a waterfall in the Auvergne, although it was painted in Italy.
    It embodies the vigorous naturalist aesthetic that distinguishes Michallon's achievement from much of the tepid Neoclassicism of the early nineteenth century.

The Public Viewing David’s "Coronation" at the Louvre

French, La Bassée 1761–1845 Paris / The Met

    David's painting of Napoleon crowning his wife as Empress Josephine was shown on three occasions at the Musée du Louvre between 1808 and 1810.
    These public spectacles were highly political, celebratory endorsements of Napoleon's audacious claim to power in 1804.

Fortified Wall, Italy

Flemish, Antwerp 1755–1813 Naples / The Met

    The walls depicted here are thought to date to antiquity and, together with the terrain, suggest the vicinity of Rome.
    The directness of observation and the fact that it was painted largely wet-into-wet indicate that this work was the product of a single plein-air outing.
    Although the site remains unidentified, it also appears in another oil study in the Museum's collection, one attributed to Pierre Henri de Valenciennes or a painter in his circle (2009.400.112).

Léon Pallière (1787–1820) in His Room at the Villa Medici, Rome

French, Bordeaux 1786–1864 Paris / The Met

    Pallière and Alaux received the Prix de Rome for history painting in 1812 and 1815, respectively.
    As a young pensionnaire (resident) at the Villa Medici, seat of the French Academy in Rome, Alaux painted a group of portraits of fellow laureates in their private rooms.
    Both the intimacy of the scene and its subject - an artist in his studio - capture the emerging Romantic sensibility.

Ignacio Garcini y Queralt (1752–1825), Brigadier of Engineers

From 14th Century To 15th Century

From 14th Century To 15th Century

During the 14th and 15th centuries, artists in Europe began to break away from the traditional Gothic style. They began to experiment with new techniques and styles, resulting in a period of great creativity and innovation in the arts. Some of the most famous artworks from this period include the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, and the sculptures of Donatello. Box with Romance Scenes     This coffret illustrated with scenes from Arthurian and other courtly literature of the M
-5 min read
From 1819 To 1826

From 1819 To 1826

The 19th century was a time of great change in the world of art. Artists began to experiment with new styles and media, and the art world was forever changed as a result. Some of the most famous artists of the time include Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Pablo Picasso. The Falls of Niagara     The painting is of Niagara Falls from the Canadian side.     The painting is based on a vignette of the falls from a map of North America published by Henry S. Tanner in 1822. Heroic Landscape w
-4 min read
From 1787 To 1800

From 1787 To 1800

The 18th century was a time of great change in the world of art. New styles and genres emerged, and artists began to experiment with new techniques and materials. The art of the 18th century reflected the changing times, and the growing interest in the natural world and the human form. Elizabeth Farren (born about 1759, died 1829), Later Countess of Derby     The Irish actress Elizabeth Farren made her London debut in 1777 and soon became one of the most popular comic performers of the day.  
-5 min read