View of the Ponte Nomentano-1837-Pierre-Nicolas Brisset

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
@ 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)
@ 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