The Roux family of

Marseilles Marseille (; ; see below) is a city in southern France, the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the Provence region, it is located on the coast of the Mediterranean S ...

was a family of

hydrographer Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary ...

s and

marine painter Marine art or maritime art is a form of figurative art (that is, painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture) that portrays or draws its main inspiration from the sea. Maritime painting is a genre that depicts ships and the sea—a genre parti ...

s that specialized in ship

portraits A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better re ...

. While many generations were involved in the hydrographic business, it was really only three generations who painted and became known for their skill and accuracy in portraying a ship, making their work seem more like a photograph than a painting. The painters in the family were Joseph, Ange-Joseph

Antoine Antoine is a French language, French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton (name), Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is most common in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada ...

, Mathieu-Antoine, Ursule-Josephine, François Joseph Frédéric and François Geoffroi.

Joseph Roux

Joseph Roux was born in 1725 in Marseille, France to Joseph Roux, who worked as a hydrographer, and Magdaleine Senequier. He took over the family business and became a hydrographer like his father, “in the course of which he published, manufactured, and sold a wide assortment of charts, navigating instruments, and related nautical gear.” It was probably around the mid-18th century when Joseph earned the title of “Hydrographe du Roi” meaning Hydrographer to the King. In 1764, Joseph published a folio of twelve Mediterranean charts which were used for a number of years after their publication. Copies were even used on HMS ''Victory'' in 1803 and 1805, as well as on HMS ''Shannon''. Joseph was also known to paint, though not as frequently as his son or grandchildren. Two such works, oil paintings titled ''Bonhomme Richard vs Serapis'' and ''Naval Engagement between a British East Indiaman and a French Warship'', exist at the

Peabody Essex Museum The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, US, is a successor to the East India Marine Society, established in 1799. It combines the collections of the former Peabody Museum of Salem (which acquired the Society's collection) and th ...

and showcase Joseph's skill as a painter. Joseph died in 1793 in Marseille. File:Joseph Roux Carte de la mer Mediterranee en douze feuilles.jpg, Folio of twelve Mediterranean charts published by Joseph Roux in 1764 File:Joseph Roux Carte de la mer Mediterranee en douze feuilles2.jpg, Inside cover of Joseph Roux's folio of Mediterranean charts File:Joseph Roux Carte de la mer Mediterranee en douze feuilles3.jpg, One of the charts inside Joseph's folio File:Joseph Roux Octant.jpg, Octant made by Joseph Roux ca 1780

Ange-Joseph Antoine Roux

Ange-Joseph Antoine Roux, who went by “Antoine Roux”, was born March 5, 1765, in Marseille, France to Joseph Roux and Marie-Ursule Demoline. He grew up in his father's hydrographic shop where he most likely picked up a great deal of nautical knowledge. The earliest known work by Antoine is a sketch from 1787, signed and dated, showing pieces of a

man-of-war In Royal Navy jargon, a man-of-war (also man-o'-war, or simply man) was a powerful warship or frigate of the 16th to the 19th century, that was frequently used in Europe. Although the term never acquired a specific meaning, it was usually rese ...

. Later

sketchbook A sketchbook is a book or pad with blank pages for sketching and is frequently used by artists for drawing or painting as a part of their creative process. Some also use sketchbooks as a sort of blueprint for future art pieces. The exhibiti ...

s are in the collection at the Peabody Essex Museum. Antoine became famous for his ship portraits and shipowners and captains were eager to entrust him with the task of creating paintings for their ships. He became very popular for the accuracy in his ship portraits and the way he made them seem alive. For the most part Antoine's style remained the same, especially when it came to hulls and rigging, which he depicted with excellent skill. One area that changed was his depiction of water. It was around 1805-1806 that he stopped illustrating waves so formally with high-crested wavelets, except in the instance of rough seas, and replaced them with softer and more natural looking waves. There was also a discernible pattern in regards to his signature: 1790s-1802 “fait par Ante

r “Antne” R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars''. The letter ...

Roux" 1801-1830 “Ante

Roux à Marseille" 1825-1835 “Ante

r Antne” R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars''. The letter ...

Roux père à Marseille" Antoine died April 20, 1835, from Cholera. He continued to paint and work in the hydrographic shop up until his death. File:Jean-Baptiste de Havre-A.Roux mg 6205.jpg, ''Jean-Baptiste de Havre'' in Marseille Harbor in the Marseille Naval Museum File:Mb-vista-entera-min.jpg, ''The Mont-Blanc off Marseille, with two merchantmen in the background'' File:Schooner Therpsicore.jpg, Schooner Therpiscore (1820) at the Benaki Museum File:Antoine Roux-557346.jpg File:Antoine Roux Le Louis Assailly D'un Coup de Vent.jpg, ''Le Louis Assailly D'un Coup de Vent'' (1825) at The

Mariners' Museum The Mariners' Museum and Park is located in Newport News, Virginia, United States. Designated as America’s ''National Maritime Museum'' by Congress, it is one of the largest maritime museums in North America. The Mariners' Museum Library contai ...

File:Antoine Roux COMBAT DE LA SURVELLANTE CONTRE LE KEBECK.jpg, ''Combat de la Survellante Contre le Kebeck'' (1811) at The

File:Antoine Roux FREGATE LA THEMIS.jpg, ''La Thémis Comandee'' (1809) at The

File:Antoine Roux's LE MAGNANIME TOWING COMMERCE DE PARIS.jpg, ''Le Magnanime Towing Commerce de Paris'' (1809) at The

File:Antoine Roux FRENCH MERCHANTMAN.jpg, ''French Merchantman'' (1803) at The

File:Antoine Roux CAMILLA.jpg, ''Camilla'' (1806) at The

File:Antoine Roux sailing ship at Marseille.jpg, Sailing ship at Marseille (1803) at The

File:Antoine Roux signature.jpg, Example of Antoine's signature, taken from the watercolor Sailing ship at Marseille (1803)

Mathieu-Antoine Roux

Mathieu-Antoine Roux, who like his father went by “Antoine Roux”, was born in Marseille, France on May 20, 1799, to the elder Antoine and Rose Elizabeth Gabrielle Catelin. He would be the first of four children to the couple. Antoine also became a painter, although he is not considered to be quite as skilled as his brothers or father were. He ended up taking over the hydrographic business of an uncle only a short distance from the one his father ran. He used the same image his grandfather had introduced in his hydrographic shop and that became associated with the Roux family, that of the two little men, one using a

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption, or Reflection (physics), reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally, it was an optical instrument using len ...

and the other using an octant. Upon Antoine's death on January 26, 1872, his son François Antoine Roux, nicknamed “Tonin”, took over the hydrographic shop. To distinguish his paintings from those of his father, Antoine's signatures were very clear. He often signed “Ante Roux fils ainé”, which can be translated as “Antoine Roux eldest son”. File:Océan La Réunion-A.Roux mg 6203.jpg, ''Ocean La Reunion'' at the Marseille Naval Museum File:Océan-A.Roux mg 6269.jpg, ''Ocean'' at the Marseille Naval Museum File:Brick Adélaïde, Capitaine Jean Sever Heuzé.jpg, ''Adelaïde'' (1827), capitaine Jean Sever Heuzé File:Pilote-A.Roux mg 6207.jpg, ''Pilote'' at the Marseille Naval Museum File:Antoine Roux Jr. Victor.jpg, ''Victor'' (1835) at The

File:Antoine Roux Jr. signature.jpg, Antoine's signature from his watercolor ''Victor'' (1835)it says "Ante Roux fils aine Marseille" File:Antoine Roux Jr. trade card.jpg, Antoine's trade card on the back of ''Victor'' (1835) File:Antoine Roux Jr. GIACOMO MORTOLA.jpg, ''Giacomo Mortola'' at The

File:Antoine Roux Jr. COMBAT DU TROIS MATS ARZAMAS ET DE NEPTUNE.jpg, ''Combat du Trois Mats Arzamas et de Neptue'' (ca 1851–1859) at The

File:Antoine Roux Jr. Dauphin.jpg, ''Dauphin'' (1825) at The

File:Antoine Roux Jr. Alfredo.jpg, ''Alfred'' (1859) at The

Ursule-Josephine Roux

Ursule Josephine was the second child of Antoine and Rose; born in 1801 in Marseille. Very little is known about her and she did not paint nearly as frequently as her brothers. One painting, titled ''View of Marseille Harbor'' is owned by the Peabody Essex Museum. As of 1924, two others were privately owned by a gentleman named Edouard Gaubert, who knew the family. They are titled ''L’Entrée du Port de Marseille'' and La ''Calanque de l’Ourse''.

François Joseph Frédéric Roux

François Joseph Frédéric, who went by Frédéric, was the third child of Antoine and Rose and was born in 1805 in Marseille. Frédéric was already painting for money at the age of 17 in 1822, clearly showing a great skill for his craft. As a young man, Frédéric went to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

at the insistence of

Carle Carle or Carlé is a surname. Notable people with the name include: *Andrea Cosima Carle, whose stage name is Maggie Mae (1960–2021), German singer * Barbara Carle (born 1958), French-American poet, critic, translator and Italianist * David Ca ...

and

Horace Vernet Émile Jean-Horace Vernet (; 30 June 178917 January 1863) more commonly known as simply Horace Vernet, was a French painter of battles, portraits, and Orientalist subjects. Biography Early career Vernet was born to Carle Vernet, another famo ...

(son and grandson of

Joseph Vernet Claude-Joseph Vernet (; 14 August 17143 December 1789) was a French painter. His son, Carle Vernet, was also a painter. Life and work Vernet was born in Avignon. When only fourteen years of age he aided his father, Antoine Vernet (1689–1753) ...

) to study at the Vernet studio. It was in Paris where he was commissioned by Admiral Jean-Baptiste Philibert Wilaumez to create 40 watercolors of the vessels on which he had served or been involved with. This set is now in the Musée de la Marine in Paris. Frédéric was also commissioned to make 23 watercolors dedicated to the Duc d’Orléans, Ferdinand Philippe, which were finished in 1831. It was around 1835 that Frédéric moved from Paris to Havre where he set up a hydrographic shop and painting business. Frédéric did not solely devote himself to the hydrographic and painting business, but instead divided his time with adventures, traveling and generally enjoying the pleasures life had to offer. He ventured a few times back to Marseilles, but spent the rest of his life in Havre, where he died in January 1870.

François Geoffroi Roux

François Geoffroi, who went by François, was the fourth child of Antoine and Rose and was born on October 21, 1811, in Marseille. His talent brought him the attention of Carle and Horace Vernet, as it had his brother Frédéric, but he did not leave for Paris as his brother did. He stayed in Marseille where he eventually took over his father's hydrographic shop. François became famous for his skill in portraying a ship naturally, to almost make it appear as though one were looking at a photograph of a ship rather than a painting. He was so skilled that it was said that François had “assimilated the science of the ship as if he were both builder and sailor.” Of particular interest was a series of watercolors he created between the late 1860s and 1882 that illustrated the “development of naval and merchant vessels since the last decade of the eighteenth century.” These were given to the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

, but not all made it and so an exact count of how many were created is unknown. The Musée de la Marine currently owns 71. François died in Marseille on September 30, 1882. File:Le RenardWiki.jpg, ''Le Renard'' (1846) File:Brig Ares (Tsamados).jpg, ''Greek brig Ares'' (1881) at The

Benaki Museum The Benaki Museum, established and endowed in 1930 by Antonis Benakis in memory of his father Emmanuel Benakis, is housed in the Benakis family mansion in Athens, Greece. The museum houses Greek works of art from the prehistorical to the modern ...

File:Francois Roux Le Goeland.jpg, ''Le Goeland'' (1838) at The

File:Francois Roux ALIGNMENT FLOTTE FRANCAISE TOULON.jpg, ''Alignment flotte Francaise Toulon'' (1864) at The

File:Francois Roux signature.jpg, Example of Francois' signature, taken from ''Alignment Flotte Francaise Toulon'' (1864) File:Francois Roux Annita.jpg, ''Annita'' (1866) at The

File:Francois Roux Fregate Wagram.jpg, ''Fregate Wagram'' (1829) at The

File:Francois Roux Marc Antoine.jpg, ''Marc Antoine'' (1866) at The

File:Francois Roux GUILLAUME ALEXIS.jpg, ''Guillaume Alexis'' (1843) at The

File:Francois Roux Harriet Ralli.jpg, ''Harriet Ralli'' (1856) at The

File:Francois Roux Frigate in a stiff breeze.jpg, ''Frigate in a stiff breeze'' at The

File:Francois Roux Frigate and small boats in harbor.jpg, ''Frigate and small boats in harbor'' at The

File:Francois Roux Brig becalmed.jpg, ''Brig becalmed'' at The

File:Francois Roux SHIP OF THE LINE AND SAILING CRAFT.jpg, Ship of the line and sailing craft, at The

Exhibitions

*July 1 – September 15, 1939 at the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Maine. 87 watercolors were on display at this exhibition. *1955 at the Musée Cantini in Marseille, France where 80 watercolors and some sketchbooks were displayed. *1978-1979 at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

Family tree

The following is the family tree for the Roux family of Marseilles.Smith (1978), family tree

References

{{Reflist, 30em

Bibliography

*Smith, P. C. F. (1978). ''The Artful Roux: Marine Painters of Marseille''. Salem, MA: Peabody Museum of Salem. *Johnson, A. (Ed.). (1925). ''Ships and Shipping: A Collection of Pictures Including Many American Vessels Painted by Antoine Roux and his Sons''. Salem, MA: Marine Research Society. *The Penobscot Marine Museum (1939). ''A Catalogue of a Loan Exhibition of Ship Portraits by the Roux Family of Marseilles.'' Searsport, ME: The Penobscot Marine Museum. *Gulliver, L. J. (1930). Ship Portraits by Antoine Roux and Sons. ''U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings'', v. 56(no.1), pp. 121–122.

External links

The Mariners' Museum Peabody Essex MuseumThe LouvrePenobscot Marine Museum
French marine artists Painters from Marseille Marseille-related lists