Henri-Léopold Lévy (23 September 1840, Nancy - 29 December 1904,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

) was a French painter of Jewish ancestry, known primarily for mythological and Biblical subjects.

Biography

He was the son of an interior decorator and embroidery manufacturer. His artistic education began at the

École des beaux-arts de Paris The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école A ''grande école'' () is a specialised university that is separate from, but parallel and often connected to, the main framework of the French public university system. The grandes écoles ...

, where he worked in the studios of

François-Édouard Picot François-Édouard Picot (; 10 October 1786 in Paris – 15 March 1868 in Paris) was a French painter during the July Monarchy, painting mythological, religious and historical subjects. Life Born in Paris, Picot won the Prix de Rome painti ...

Alexandre Cabanel Alexandre Cabanel (; 28 September 1823 – 23 January 1889) was a French painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. According to ''Diccionario Enciclopedi ...

and

Eugène Fromentin Eugène Fromentin (24 October 182027 August 1876) was a French painter and writer, now better remembered for his writings. Life He was born in La Rochelle. After leaving school he studied for some years under Louis Cabat, the landscape painter. ...

. His first exhibit at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

came in 1865, where he displayed his portrayal of

Hecuba Hecuba (; also Hecabe; grc, Ἑκάβη, Hekábē, ) was a queen in Greek mythology, the wife of King Priam of Troy during the Trojan War. Description Hecuba was described by the chronicler Malalas in his account of the ''Chronography'' as "da ...

, finding the body of her son,

Polydorus of Troy Polydorus or Polydoros (; grc, Πολύδωρος, i.e. "many-gift d) is the youngest son of Priam in the mythology of the Trojan War. While Homer states his mother is Laothoe, later sources state his mother is Hecuba. Polydorus is an example ...

, at the seashore. It brought him a first-class medal. Two years later, he received an award for his version of

Jehoash of Judah Jehoash (; el, Ιωας; la, Joas), also known as Joash (in King James Version), Joas (in Douay–Rheims) or Joás (), was the eighth king of Judah, and the sole surviving son of Ahaziah after the massacre of the royal family ordered by his gr ...

being saved from the slaughter of his family ordered by

Athaliah Athaliah ( el, Γοθολία ''Gotholía''; la, Athalia) was the daughter of either king Omri, or of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel, the queen consort of Judah as the wife of King Jehoram, a descendant of King David, and later quee ...

.Galerie Emeric Hahn
/ref> In 1869 he was given a prize for his "Hebrew Captive Weeping at the Ruins of Jerusalem". In 1872, after showing his portrait of

Herodias Herodias ( el, Ἡρῳδιάς, ''Hērǭdiás''; ''c.'' 15 BC – after AD 39) was a princess of the Herodian dynasty of Judaea during the time of the Roman Empire. Christian writings connect her with John the Baptist's execution. Family relat ...

, he was named a Chevalier in the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. In addition to his canvases, he created several murals; notably, scenes from the life of Saint Denis at the

Church of Saint-Merri The Church of Saint-Merri or ''Église Saint-Merry'') is a parish church in Paris, located near the Centre Pompidou along the rue Saint Martin, in the 4th arrondissement on the Rive Droite (Right Bank). It is dedicated to the 8th century abbot of ...

, a "Coronation of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

" (1881) at the

Panthéon The Panthéon (, from the Classical Greek word , , ' empleto all the gods') is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was b ...

and an "Essay on the Glories of

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

" which fills a panel in the State Hall of Burgundy in

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

. Despite being a Chevalier, his career suffered from the anti-Semitism that swept France after the

Dreyfus Affair The Dreyfus affair (french: affaire Dreyfus, ) was a political scandal that divided the French Third Republic from 1894 until its resolution in 1906. "L'Affaire", as it is known in French, has come to symbolise modern injustice in the Francop ...

and he lost customers by refusing to sign his paintings with a different name. He was, however, able to continue participating in the Salon until 1903.Stephen Ongpin Gallery
/ref> During this time, he took an extended trip to the Middle East with his friend, Fromentin, and produced several Orientalist works. He also served as a teacher. Among his notable students one may mention Georges A. L. Boisselier,

Henri Dabadie Henri Célestin Louis Dabadie (1 December 1867, Pau - 19 October 1949, Saint-Mandé) was a French landscape and Orientalist painter. Biography He was a student of Jules-Élie Delaunay and Henri Michel-Lévy. After completing his studies, he d ...

Lluïsa Vidal Lluïsa Vidal i Puig (Barcelona, 2 April 1876 – 22 October 1918) was a painter. Raised in a well-off family closely related to Catalan modernist circles, she is known as the only professional women painter of Catalan modernism, and one of the ...

and .

References

Other sources

Biographical notes
@ the

Jewish Encyclopedia ''The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'' is an English-language encyclopedia containing over 15,000 articles on th ...

Biographical notes
@ Larousse

External links

More works by Lévy
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Henri-Leopold 1840 births 1904 deaths 19th-century French painters Mythological painters Religious artists Jewish painters Artists from Nancy, France 20th-century French painters