Antoine-George-Prosper Marilhat, usually known as Prosper Marilhat, (26 March 1811 – 13 September 1847) was a French
Orientalist painter. Many of his most successful works were based on the sketches he drew during the time he spent in Egypt in 1831–1832.
Early life
He was born in
Vertaizon. Encouraged by local artists, Marihat began painting at an early age. Although his parents wanted him to work in the cutlery business of
Thiers, Puy-de-Dôme
Thiers (; Auvergnat: ''Tièrn'') is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department of Auvergne in central France. With Ambert, Issoire and Riom, it is one of the department's four sub-prefectures. The district of Thiers consists of forty-three munic ...
where he lived, the
Baron de Barante convinced them he was more suited to an artistic career. He went to Paris in 1829 where he studied under
Camille Roqueplan, exhibiting for the first time at the
Paris Salon in 1831 with his ''Site d'Auvergne''.
["Antoine-Georges-Prosper Marilhat (1811-1847)"]
''Art Experts''. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
Career
In May 1831, Marilhat was invited by
Charles von Hügel
Charles von Hügel (born Carl Alexander Anselm Baron von Hügel; 25 April 1795 – 2 June 1870), sometimes spelt in English Huegel, was an Austrian nobleman, army officer, diplomat, botanist, and explorer, now primarily remembered for his t ...
to join him on a lengthy expedition but he only accompanied him as far as
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
. Over the following months, from October 1831 to May 1833, he completed ten albums of sketches there which would form the basis of his later paintings. In 1835, he travelled through Italy and spent 1836 in
Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...
. He exhibited in all the Paris Salons from 1837 to 1841 as well as at the Salon of 1844. While he specialized in architectural paintings and landscapes, he also painted portraits including one of his friend
Théodore Chassériau
Théodore Chassériau (September 20, 1819 – October 8, 1856) was a Dominican-born French Romantic painter noted for his portraits, historical and religious paintings, allegorical murals, and Orientalist images inspired by his travels to Alger ...
which is now in the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
.
["Prosper Marilhat (1811 - 1847)"]
''Museumnetwork.org''. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
![Prosper Marilhat - Ezbekiyah Street in Cairo - WGA14078](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Prosper_Marilhat_-_Ezbekiyah_Street_in_Cairo_-_WGA14078.jpg)
From 1840 to 1844, Marilhat painted a number of works inspired by his travels including ''Ruines de la mosquée El-Hakem au Caire'', said to have captured the monumentality of the ruins and the romanticism of the location.
Theophile Gautier
Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός (God) and φιλία (love or affection) can be translated as "Love of God" or "Friend of God", i.e., it is a theoph ...
was deeply moved by his ''Place de l’Esbekieh au Caire'', remarking: "On seeing this painting, I became sick at heart, and yearned for the Orient, in which I had not yet set foot." At the Salon of 1844, his ''Souvenir des bords du Nil'' was praised, as was ''Arabes syriens en voyage'', now in the
Musée Condé
The Musée Condé – in English, the Condé Museum – is a French museum located inside the Château de Chantilly in Chantilly, Oise, 40 km north of Paris. In 1897, Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale, son of Louis Philippe I, bequeathed the ...
,
Chantilly
Chantilly may refer to:
Places
France
*Chantilly, Oise, a city located in the Oise department
**US Chantilly, a football club
*Château de Chantilly, a historic château located in the town of Chantilly
United States
* Chantilly, Missou ...
.
[
Marilhat's work falls into three periods: his early traditional landscapes and portraits, the drawings and sketches during his travels to the Orient, and his paintings after 1838 which, in addition to his well-received oriental works also included mythological subjects. Suffering from syphilis, Prosper Marilhat became insane and died in a Paris asylum in September 1847, only 36 years old.][
]
Works
*''Site d'Auvergne'' (1831)
*''La place de l'Esbekieh'' (1834)
*''Intérieur d'un village, environs de Thiers'' (1835)
*''Souvenir de la Campagne de Rosette'' (Gold Medal, 1835)
*''Scène pastorale'' (1837)
*''Pont du Gard'' (1838)
*''Nymphes dans une clairière'' (1839)
*''Les Jardins d'Armide'' (1839)
*''Le delta'' (1839)
*''Ruines d'une ancienne mosquée dans la ville des Tombeaux au Caire'' (1840)
*''Une caravane arrêtée dans les ruines de Balbek'' (1840)
*''Souvenirs des environs de Beyrouth'' (1841)
*''Vue de la Place de l'Esbekieh au Caire'' (1844)
*''Café à Boulak'' (1844)
*''La Mosquée Babel-Wase'' (1844)
*''Tombeaux arabes à Salmiè'' (1844)
*''Village près de Rosette'' (1844)
*''Souvenir des bords du Nil'' (1844)
*''Arabes syriens en voyage'' (1844)
*''Souvenirs des environs de Thiers'' (1844)
File:Marilhat Souvenir des bords du Nil.jpg, ''Souvenir des bords du Nil''
File:Prosper Marilhat - Une rue au Caire.jpg, ''Une rue au Lattaquie (Syrie) ''
File:Marilhat Prosper Georges Antoine Ruines De La Mosquee Du Calife Hakem Au Caire.jpg, ''Ruines de la Mosquée du Calife Haken au Caire''
File:Marilhat Arabes syriens en Voyage.jpg, ''Arabes syriens en voyage''
See also
*List of Orientalist artists
This is an incomplete list of artists who have produced works on Orientalist subjects, drawn from the Islamic world or other parts of Asia. Many artists listed on this page worked in many genres, and Orientalist subjects may not have formed a m ...
* Orientalism
References
Sources and further reading
* Roger Bonniot, ''Le peintre auvergnat Prosper Marilhat; étude iconographiques'', in Revue "L'Auvergne Littéraire" pp. 3–28, No 191, 4th quarter 1966.
* Édouard Charton, ''Marilhat, paysagiste. Fragments de ses lettres inédites'', in "''Le Magasin Pittoresque''", 1856, pp. 347–350, 370–371, 403–404.
* A. Delafoulhouze, « ''Notice sur Prosper Marilhat, peintre de paysage'' », in "Bulletin Historique et Scientifique de l’Auvergne", 1862, tome IV, pp. 27–49.
* Hippolyte Gomot, ''Marilhat et son œuvre'', Impr. Mont-Louis, Clermont-Ferrand, 1884, 101p
Online text
from Gallica.
* Marie-Laure Hallopeau, ''Prosper Marilhat : Peintures, Dessins, Gravures'', Catalogue de l'exposition au Musée Bargoin, juin - Septembre 1973, 32p., ill., La Source d'Or & Le Centre de Recherches Révolutionnaires et Romantiques, 1973.
* Danièle Menu, ''Prosper Marilhat (1811-1847). Essai de Catalogue'', Mémoire de maîtrise, Faculté des Lettres de Dijon, manuscrit, 1972 (près de 250 œuvres recensées).
* Serge Trouillet, ''Prosper Marilhat, Peintre de la ligne et du soleil'', in Revue "Un, Deux... Quatre", pp. 1–19, ill., No 156, 07/01/1998 au 20/01/1998.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marilhat, Prosper
19th-century French painters
French male painters
1811 births
1847 deaths
People from Puy-de-Dôme
French orientalists
Orientalist painters
19th-century French male artists