Sketch for "Reception of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie by the Kabyle Leaders at Algiers on September 18, 1860"
ca. 1862–67
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
25 1/4 x 43 1/4 in. (64.1 x 109.9 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Kenneth Jay Lane, 2017
Accession Number
2017.202.11
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this vibrant oil sketch on canvas, French artist Isidore Pils a pivotal moment of imperial pomp: the grand reception of Emperor Napoleon III Empress Eugénie by Kabyle leaders in Algiers on September 18, 0. Created around 1862–67 as a preparatory study, the work measures 25¼ × 43¼ inches and buzzes with energy—a crowded ceremony blending European royalty with North African dignitaries, highlighted by the tags of women, crowds, and Orientalist motifs. Pils, a master of 19th-century academic history painting, uses loose, fluid brushstrokes typical of oil sketches to map out composition, color,...
About the Artist
Isidore Pils · 1813–1875
Isidore-Alexandre-Augustin Pils (1813/15–1875), born in Paris to the soldier François Pils, emerged as a leading French academic painter known for religious and military subjects. At age twelve, he studied under Guillaume Guillon-Lethière for four years before entering the École des Beaux-Arts in 1831 as a student of François-Édouard Picot. His talent secured the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1838 w...