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Napoleon III
(18th and 19th Centuries )
Cabanel enjoyed a rapid rise to fame, winning a first-class medal and being appointed a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1855. He also became a professor of painting at the École des Beaux-Arts in 1863. This painting replicates a once-lost official portrait commissioned in 1865 for the apartments of Empress Eugénie in the Tuileries Palace. Scoffing critics of Napoleon III's regime dismissed the original work as "a portrait of a hotel manager."
In 2009, the full-length portrait was rediscovered in storage at the chateau of Compiegne.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
William T. Walters, Baltimore, 1887-1893 (?), by purchase [perhaps the Cabanel "sketch" purchased by G. A. Lucas at Chevalier's, May 27-28, 1889]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894, by inheritance; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2018-2021 | Boldini and his Circle. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2010-2011 | Alexandre Cabanel, la tradition du beau. Musee Fabre, Montpellier; Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Köln. |
| 2002-2004 | A Magnificent Age: Masterpieces from the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte. |
| 1998 | Before Monet: Landscape Painting in France and Impressionist Masters: Highlights from The Walters Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1978-1979 | The Second Empire 1852-1870: Art in France under Napoleon III. Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 7/12/1978 | Examination | examined for loan |
| 5/4/1979 | Loan Consideration | {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\fnil\fcharset0 Arial;}}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\fs20 examined for loan\par} |
| 9/6/1979 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 10/19/2009 | Loan Consideration | {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\fnil\fcharset0 Arial;}}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\fs20 examined for loan\par} |
| 7/6/2010 | Examination | examined for condition |
Measurements
H: 16 1/8 x W: 12 5/8 in. (41 x 32 cm); Framed H with buildup: 23 x W: 17 1/2 x D: 5 in. (58.26 x 44.45 x 12.7 cm); Framed H without buildup: 23 x W: 17 1/2 x D: 3 1/4 in. (58.42 x 44.45 x 8.26 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by William T. Walters, 1887-1893
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.146