The French Army Landing at Civita-Vecchia, April 25, 1849, from Souvenirs d’Italie: Expédition de Rome
Medium
Lithograph in black on buff wove China paper laid down on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 16.4 × 35.1 cm (6 1/2 × 13 7/8 in.); Primary support: 24.2 × 40.2 cm (9 9/16 × 15 7/8 in.); 40.2 × 56.9 cm (15 7/8 × 22 7/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
132899
Art Historical Context
Denis Auguste Marie Raffet a leading French lithographer of the Romantic era, captured the drama of military history in *The French Army Landing atita-Vecchia, 25, 1849*, from his series *Souvenirs’Italie: Exp de Rome*. Published posthum in 1851, this work depicts French troops disembarking at the key Italian port during the Roman Republic's brief existence amid the 1848–1849 revolutions. Raffet, famed for his vivid portrayals of Napoleonic campaigns, infused the scene with dynamic energy, showcasing soldiers, ships, and bustling activity against a coastal backdrop. Historically, the landing ...
About the Artist
Denis Auguste Marie Raffet · 1804–1860
Denis Auguste Marie Raffet (1804–1860) was born in Paris and displayed an early aptitude for drawing, though his initial apprenticeship was to a wood turner. He pursued art through evening classes and, at age eighteen, joined the workshop of Cabanel as a porcelain painter, where he met Rudor, who taught him lithography. Raffet studied under Nicolas Toussaint Charlet from 1824 to 1829 and completed...