The images and information presented below are for the instruction of students and scholarly research.
Emile-Jean-Horace Vernet
(1789-1863)
Stormy Coast After a Shipwreck
Emile-Jean-Horace
Vernet came from a long line of distinguished painters,
and was born in his family’s apartments in the Louvre.
His Grandfather was the marine painter, Claude-Joseph
Vernet, and his Father was Carle Vernet, who specialised
in historical and biblical scenes. He received his
artistic training at home, and this was supplemented by
extra tuition from Francois Vincent.
The Lion Hunt
Throughout his
artistic career, Vernet was to cover a wide range of
subjects, including Oriental genre scenes, battle scenes
and scenes from the bible, and literature. He also made
illustrations for books, and journals. He was a prolific
traveler, and he made his first trip to Algeria in 1833,
with the French army. He was to return there on numerous
occasions, and used these trips as inspiration for his
Oriental paintings. He was particularly interested in
the similarity of Arab costumes, and those worn in
biblical times.
In his painting, ‘The First Mass in Kablyia’, he depicts
the mass celebrated in the Kablyia mountain range, in
June 1854, to mark the anniversary of the French landing
in Algeria, and the submission of the native tribes. In
this painting we see Catholic priests on an altar
celebrating mass, with Oriental soldiers in the
foreground kneeling on the ground. In fact, Vernet
participated in this mass, and helped construct the
altar. Throughout his whole career he was to have an
interest in Oriental scenes, and the Wallace Collection
in London has an enormous number of his paintings in
this style, including, ‘Arabs Traveling in the Desert’,
and ‘Arab Tale Teller’.
Arabs Traveling in the Desert
The Arab Tale Teller
He was also well known
for his battle scenes, and many of these were bought by
the Duc d’Orleans for the Palais Royale. A particularly
well known battle scene of his is, ‘The Battle of Somah’,
which commemorates the actions of General Charngarnier
at the Battle of Somah. This battle was one of the most
important battles of the French colonial wars in
Northern Africa. The painting shows General Charngarnier
rising above the surrounding carnage, calm in the face
of impending death. The painting was commissioned by the
General Charngarnier’s native town of Autun.
He used these paintings of battle scenes to allow him to
portray Oriental costumes, and weapons, in which he had
a great interest. The great Oriental painter, Eugene
Delacroix was also an admirer of his work, and often
made reference to Vernet’s remarkable ease of
composition.
The Start of the Race of the Riderless
Horse
He received notoriety
in 1822, when a number of his paintings were apparently
rejected by the Salon due to his anti-Bourbon
sentiments. Whether this is true or not is debatable, as
he went on to receive a number of honours from the
restored Bourbon Monarchy, including the Directorship of
the French Academy in Rome, which he retained until
1834.
He was also commissioned by King Louis Philippe, to help
with the decoration of the Galleries des Batailles in
Versailles. This was one of the most grandiose projects
that Vernet ever undertook.
Together with his nephew, Frederic Goupil-Fesquet, he
was one of the first Oriental travelers to make use of
the daguerreotype, and in November 1839, he recorded
views of Alexandria, Cairo and Jerusalem, only some
months after the process had been made public.
Paintings by Vernet can be seen in the Wallace
Collection in London, the Hermitage Museum in St.
Petersburg, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York
City, to name just a few.
