![Brisset Caïus Gracchus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Brisset_Ca%C3%AFus_Gracchus.JPG)
Pierre-Nicolas Brisset (18 August 1810 – 29 March 1890) was a French painter and muralist in the
Academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
style. He is best known for his mythological, historical and religious scenes, but also painted landscapes and portraits.
Biography
He was born in Paris. His father was a manufacturer of printing presses. At the age of eighteen, he was apprenticed in
the workshop of
Louis-Charles-Auguste Couder and later studied with
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 paintin ...
.
[Biographical notes](_blank)
@ the Galerie la Nouvelles Athènes. During this time, he also studied at the
École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts
The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Science ...
. A trip to Italy in 1835 inspired Brisset to paint a series of works on historical subjects, monuments and ruins, notably the
Ponte Nomentano
The Ponte Nomentano (called Pons Lamentanus during the Middle Ages) is a Roman bridge in Rome, Italy, which carried the Via Nomentana over the Aniene ( la, Anio). Having lain outside the city limits for most of its history, the picturesque bridge ...
on the
Aniene
The Aniene (; la, Aniō), formerly known as the Teverone, is a river in Lazio, Italy. It originates in the Apennines at Trevi nel Lazio and flows westward past Subiaco, Vicovaro, and Tivoli to join the Tiber in northern Rome. It formed the pr ...
River.
In 1840, he was awarded the
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...
in painting for his depiction of
Gaius Gracchus
Gaius Sempronius Gracchus ( – 121 BC) was a reformist Roman politician in the 2nd century BC. He is most famous for his tribunate for the years 123 and 122 BC, in which he proposed a wide set of laws, including laws to establish ...
summoned before the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
.
From 1841 to 1845, he lived at the
Villa Medici
The Villa Medici () is a Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with a garden contiguous with the larger Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in Rome, Italy. The Villa Medici, founded by Ferdinando I de' Medici, ...
in Rome. While there, he painted ''
Saint Lawrence
Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. "Laurel wreath, laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the Persecution of Christians, perse ...
Showing the Treasures of the Church'', which enjoyed great success when it was displayed 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 ...
and the
Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille.
From 1846 to 1853, Brisset assisted Picot in painting
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
es at the Church of
Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Saint-Vincent-de-Paul (named after Saint Vincent de Paul) may refer to:
* Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Gironde, France
* Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Landes, France
* Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Paris, 10th arrondissement of Paris, France
*Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Que ...
, one of the largest construction projects during the reign of King
Louis Philippe
Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France.
As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary War ...
. Over the years, he created several murals of his own at the Church of
La Sainte-Trinité and in the Chapel of the Virgin at the
Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde, as well as at the churches of
Saint-Augustin and
Saint-Roch Saint-Roch may refer to:
In Canada:
*Saint-Roch, Quebec City, a neighbourhood of Quebec City
*Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan, Quebec, a municipality
*Saint-Roch-de-Mékinac, Quebec, a municipality
*Saint-Roch-de-Richelieu, Quebec, a municipality
*Saint-Ro ...
.
[Biographical notes (2)](_blank)
@ the Galerie la Nouvelle Athènes.
In 1862, he helped design a 100 Francs banknote for the
Banque de France
The Bank of France ( French: ''Banque de France''), headquartered in Paris, is the central bank of France. Founded in 1800, it began as a private institution for managing state debts and issuing notes. It is responsible for the accounts of the F ...
. It used new technologies, designed to prevent counterfeiting, and was in use until 1923. Six years later, he was named a Knight in the
Légion d'honneur
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 ...
.
Dossier
@ the Base Léonore.
In 1879, Brisset participated in decorating the Grand Théâtre de Genève
Grand Théâtre de Genève is an opera house in Geneva, Switzerland.
As with many other opera houses, the Grand Théâtre de Genève is both a venue and an institution. The venue is a majestic building, towering over Place Neuve, official ...
, but most of his work there was destroyed by fire in 1951. Some of his designs may still be seen at the Hôtel de la Païva
The Hôtel de la Païva ("Mansion of La Païva") is a hôtel particulier, a type of large townhouse of France, that was built between 1856 and 1866, at 25 Avenue des Champs-Élysées by the courtesan Esther Lachmann, better known as ''La Païva'' ...
and the Hôtel Matignon
The Hôtel Matignon or Hôtel de Matignon () is the official residence of the Prime Minister of France. It is located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, at 57 Rue de Varenne. "Matignon" is often used as a metonym for the governmental action o ...
. In 1883, he took part in preparations to restore the frescoes at Fontainbleau
Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...
. He was also a private art teacher. His best known student was Henri Gervex
Henri Gervex (Paris 10 December 1852 – 7 June 1929 Paris) was a French painter who studied painting under Alexandre Cabanel, Pierre-Nicolas Brisset, and Eugène Fromentin.
Biography Early years
He was the son of Joséphine Peltier and Félix N ...
.
He died in Paris on 29 March 1890.
References
External links
Works by Brisset
@ the Base Joconde
Joconde is the central database created in 1975 and now available online, maintained by the French Ministry of Culture, for objects in the collections of the main French public and private museums listed as ''Musées de France'', according to ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brisset, Pierre-Nicolas
1810 births
1890 deaths
French muralists
Fresco painters
History painters
Religious artists
Prix de Rome for painting
Painters from Paris
Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur
19th-century French painters
French male painters
19th-century French male artists