Henri-Léopold Lévy (23 September 1840, Nancy - 29 December 1904,

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 ...

) was a French painter of Jewish ancestry, known primarily for mythological and Biblical subjects.

Biography

He was the son of an interior decorator and embroidery manufacturer. His artistic education began at the

École des beaux-arts de Paris The (), formally the (), is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level fine arts education and training. The art school, which is part of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is located on two sites: Saint-G ...

, where he worked in the studios of

François-Édouard Picot François-Édouard Picot (; 10 October 1786 – 15 March 1868) was a French painter during the July Monarchy, painting mythological, religious and historical subjects. Life Born in Paris, Picot studied with François-André Vincent and Jacq ...

Alexandre Cabanel Alexandre Cabanel (; 28 September 1823 – 23 January 1889) was a French Painting, painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the Academic art, academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. He was Napoleon ...

and

Eugène Fromentin Eugène Fromentin (; 24 October 182027 August 1876) was a French painter and writer. Life and career He was born in La Rochelle. After leaving school he studied for some years under Louis Cabat, the landscape painter. Fromentin was one of the e ...

. His first exhibit at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

came in 1865, where he displayed his portrayal of

Hecuba Hecuba (; also Hecabe; , ) was a queen in Greek mythology, the wife of King Priam of Troy during the Trojan War. Description Hecuba was described by the chronicler John Malalas, Malalas in his account of the ''Chronography'' as "dark, good eyes ...

, finding the body of her son,

Polydorus of Troy Polydorus or Polydoros (; , i.e. "many-gift d) is the youngest son of Priam in the mythology of the Trojan War. While Homer states his mother is Laothoe, later sources state his mother is Hecuba. Polydorus is an example of the fluid nature of m ...

, at the seashore. It brought him a first-class medal. Two years later, he received an award for his version of

Jehoash of Judah Jehoash (; ; ), also known as Joash (in King James Version), Joas (in Douay–Rheims) or Joás (), was the eighth king of Judah, and the sole surviving son of Ahaziah after the massacre of the royal family ordered by his grandmother, Athalia ...

being saved from the slaughter of his family ordered by

Athaliah Athaliah ( ''Gotholía''; ) was the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel; she was queen consort of kingdom of Judah, Judah as the wife of Jehoram of Judah, King Jehoram, a descendant of King David, and was later queen regnant c. 84 ...

.Galerie Emeric Hahn
/ref> In 1869 he was given a prize for his "Hebrew Captive Weeping at the Ruins of Jerusalem". In 1872, after showing his portrait of

Herodias Herodias (; , ''Hērōidiás''; c. 15 BC – after AD 39) was a princess of the Herodian dynasty of Judea, Judaea during the time of the Roman Empire. Christian writings connect her with the Beheading of John the Baptist, execution of John the Ba ...

, he was named a Chevalier in the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

. In addition to his canvases, he created several murals; notably, scenes from the life of Saint Denis at the Church of Saint-Merri, a "Coronation of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

" (1881) at the

Panthéon The Panthéon (, ), is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, Paris, Latin Quarter (Quartier latin), atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was built between 1758 ...

and an "Essay on the Glories of

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

" which fills a panel in the State Hall of Burgundy in

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

. Despite being a Chevalier, his career suffered from the anti-Semitism that swept France after the Dreyfus Affair and he lost customers by refusing to sign his paintings with a different name. He was, however, able to continue participating in the Salon until 1903.Stephen Ongpin Gallery
/ref> During this time, he took an extended trip to the Middle East with his friend, Fromentin, and produced several Orientalist works. He also served as a teacher. Among his notable students one may mention

Georges A. L. Boisselier Georges Alexandre Lucien Boisselier (15 March 1876, Paris - 5 November 1943, Paris) was a French painter in the Academicism, Academic style; known primarily for portraits and Genre art, genre figures. He also designed furniture. Biography His ...

, Henri Dabadie, Lluïsa Vidal and .

References

Other sources

Biographical notes
@ the

Jewish Encyclopedia ''The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'' is an English-language encyclopedia containing over 15,000 articles on the ...

Biographical notes
@ Larousse

External links

More works by Lévy
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Henri-Leopold 1840 births 1904 deaths 19th-century French painters Mythological painters Religious artists Jewish painters Artists from Nancy, France Painters from Grand Est 20th-century French painters