
Louis-Théodore Devilly (28 October 1818,
Metz
Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
24 December 1886,
Nancy) was a French painter who specialized in military and
Orientalist scenes; associated with the .
Biography
He came from a family of booksellers.
[André Bellard :"Laurent-Charles Maréchal, l'École de Metz", in ''Les cahiers lorrains'', S.H.A.L., Metz, 1959.] His father, Louis-Jean-Baptiste (1792-1826), was a member of the and a prominent
Mason. Following his father's death, his mother, Félicité Constance Gentil, took over the bookshop, but he was more attracted to drawing and sketching.
[Émile Auguste Nicolas Jules Bégin: ''Biographie de la Moselle'', reprinted by the ]University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
, 2009
From 1833 to 1835, he attended classes taught by
Laurent-Charles Maréchal, the founder of the École de Metz.
He then went to Paris, where he became a student of
Paul Delaroche
Hippolyte-Paul Delaroche (; Paris, 17 July 1797 – Paris, 4 November 1856) was a French painter who achieved his greater successes painting historical scenes. He became famous in Europe for his melodramatic depictions that often portrayed subje ...
at the
École des beaux-arts de Paris.
In addition to oil painting, he practiced
engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ar ...
and worked with watercolors. In 1840, he exhibited 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, ...
.
[Société des artistes français. ''Salon : Explication des ouvrages de peinture et dessins, sculpture, architecture et gravure, des artistes vivants'', Paris, 1885.]
He returned to Metz in 1841, but continued to exhibit in Paris; winning a silver medal at the Salon of 1852.
He became especially well known for his huge canvases of historical scenes; mostly battles.
In 1864, he was named Director of the
Following the
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
, he remained loyal to France and moved away from Metz, which had become part of the
German Empire
The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
. He settled in Nancy and took over management of the , a post he held until his death in 1886.
References
Further reading
* Marguerite Sido, "Théodore Devilly (1818-1886), de Metz à Nancy. Biographie. Essai de catalogue raisonné ";
Nancy 2 University, 2000, 356 p.
* Pierre Brasme, ''La Moselle et ses artistes'', Éd. Serpenoise, Metz, 2002, pp. 61–63
* Henri Claude, ''La Lorraine vue par les peintres'', Serge Domini, Thionville, 2003, pp. 47–48, 106, 116
External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devilly, Louis-Theodore
1818 births
1886 deaths
19th-century French painters
French history painters
French orientalists
Military art
Artists from Metz
Painters from Grand Est