Les ruins du Palais des Tuilleries avant leur démolition
1883
Medium
wood engraving
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
2007.12.20
Art Historical Context
In 1883, French artist Auguste Lepère captured a poignant moment in Parisian history with his wood engraving *Les Ruins du Palais des Tuies avant leur démolition* (The Ruins of the Palais desileries Before Their Dem). The Palais des Tuileries, a grand royal residence begun by Catherine de' Medici in the 16th century, had stood as a symbol of monarchical power adjacent to the Louvre. Severely damaged by fire during the violent Paris Commune uprising of 1871, its skeletal remains lingered as a stark reminder of political upheaval amid the Third Republic's turbulent birth. Lepère, renowned for h...
About the Artist
Auguste Lepère · 1849–1918
Auguste-Louis Lepère (1849–1918), son of the sculptor François Lepère, was born in Paris on November 30, 1849, into an artistic family that shaped his early path. At age thirteen, he apprenticed in the Paris studio of the English wood engraver Joseph Burn Smeeton, honing his skills in wood engraving until 1867. He furthered his training with drawing classes under Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran at the...