Jean-Baptiste Isabey (11 April 1767 – 18 April 1855) was a French

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

born at Nancy. He was a successful artist, both under the

First Empire First Empire may refer to: *First British Empire, sometimes used to describe the British Empire between 1583 and 1783 *First Bulgarian Empire (680–1018) *First French Empire (1804–1814/1815) * First German Empire or "First Reich", sometimes use ...

and to the diplomats of the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

Life

At the age of nineteen, after some lessons from Dumont, miniature painter to

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

, he became a pupil of

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

. Employed at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

on portraits of the dukes of Angoulême and Berry, he was given a commission by the queen, which opens the long list of those he received from successive French rulers until his death in 1855. Patronized by Josephine and

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, he arranged the ceremonies of their coronation and prepared drawings for the publication intended as its official commemoration, a work for which he was paid by

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...

, whose portrait (engraved by Debucourt) he executed in 1814. Although Isabey did homage to Napoleon on his return from

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...

, he continued to enjoy the favour of the Restoration, and took part in arrangements for the coronation of

Charles X Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Loui ...

. The

July Monarchy The July Monarchy (french: Monarchie de Juillet), officially the Kingdom of France (french: Royaume de France), was a liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 26 July 1830, with the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 23 F ...

conferred on him an important post in connection with the royal collections, and

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

granted him a pension, and the cross of commander of 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 ...

. ''Review of Troops by the First Consul'' was one of his most important compositions, and Isabey's ''Boat'' – a charming drawing of himself and family-produced at a time when he was much occupied with lithography – had an immense success at the Salon of 1820 (engraved,

Landon Landon is a personal name of English origin that means "long hill". It is a variant of Langdon. Landon became popular in the United States in the 1990s, and by 2010 had become the 32nd most popular name for boys.Edmond Taigny in 1859, and

Charles Lenormant Charles Lenormant (1 June 1802, Paris – 22 November 1859, Athens) was a French archaeologist. Biography After pursuing his studies at the Lycée Charlemagne and the Lycée Napoléon, he took up law, but a visit to Italy and Sicily (1822� ...

's article, written for

Michaud Michaud is a surname of French origin, most often found in France, Canada and the United States. Notable people with the name include: * Alexandre Michaud de Beauretour (1771–1841), Piedmontese general who served in the Imperial Russian Army * A ...

's ''Biog. Univ.'', is founded on facts furnished by Isabey's family.Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911 His son, Eugène, also became a well known painter.

References

Sources

* Basily-Callimaki, Eva de, Mme, J.B. Isabey: sa vie, son temps, 1767-1855: Suivi du Catalogue de l'oeuvre gravee par et d'apres Isabey

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Isabey, Jean-Baptiste 18th-century French painters French male painters 19th-century French painters French portrait painters Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur 1767 births 1855 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Pupils of Jacques-Louis David 18th-century French male artists