Sébastien-Melchior Cornu (6 January 1804 – 23 October 1870) was a French painter, specializing in religious works and portraits.

Life and works

He was born in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. At the age of twelve, he began attending the

École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Lyon The École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Lyon is a school of art and design in Lyon, located in Les Subsistances, in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon, in the Rhône-Alpes region of France. It is part of the École des Beaux-Arts traditio ...

. There, he took lessons in the studio of

Fleury François Richard Fleury François Richard (25 February 1777, Lyon – 14 March 1852, Écully), sometimes called Fleury-Richard, was a French painter of the Lyon School. A student of Jacques-Louis David, Fleury-Richard and his friend Pierre Révoil were precu ...

, who had been a student of

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

. His fellow students included

Hippolyte Flandrin Jean-Hippolyte Flandrin (23 March 1809 – 21 March 1864) was a French Neoclassical painter. His most celebrated work, ''Study (Young Male Nude Seated Beside the Sea), Jeune Homme Nu Assis au Bord de la Mer'' (1836) is held in the Louvre. Biog ...

and

Charles Gleyre Marc Gabriel Charles Gleyre (2 May 1806 – 5 May 1874), was a Swiss artist who was a resident in France from an early age. He took over the studio of Paul Delaroche in 1843 and taught a number of younger artists who became prominent, including He ...

. In 1820, he was awarded the École's first prize for painting, in his class. He continued his training with Jean-Claude Bonnefond, and took over his studio when he left for Italy in 1823. He moved to Paris in 1826, where he worked in the studios of

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres ( ; ; 29 August 1780 – 14 January 1867) was a French Neoclassicism, Neoclassical Painting, painter. Ingres was profoundly influenced by past artistic traditions and aspired to become the guardian of academic ...

. In 1828, Ingres asked him to go on a study trip to Italy. He would remain there, in Rome, until 1835, in the company of Gleyre. He married Hortense Lacroix, a writer and friend of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

, in 1833. Upon leaving Italy, he and Hortense travelled to Turkey and Greece, before returning to Paris. Between 1837 and 1848, Cornu was a regular participant in exhibitions 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, ...

. Thanks to his wife's noble connections, he received numerous commissions from the Royal Court and the church. His decorative work can be seen in several churches; notably

Saint-Merri The Church of Saint-Merri or ''Église Saint-Merry'') is a parish church in Paris, located near the Centre Pompidou along the rue Saint Martin, in the 4th arrondissement on the Rive Droite (Right Bank). It is dedicated to the 7th century abbot o ...

(1850),

Saint-Séverin Saint-Séverin (; ) is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. Geography The Lizonne forms the commune's eastern border, then flows into the Dronne, which forms the commune's southern border. Population See also *Com ...

(1857), Saint-Roch (1859), and

Saint-Germain-des-Prés Saint-Germain-des-Prés () is one of the four administrative quarters of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Its official borders are the River Seine on the nor ...

(1864), where he completed a project begun by his friend, Flandrin. His notable portraits include

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , ; ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. He has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country and abroad. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flaubert, realis ...

, and

George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. Being more renowned than either Victor Hugo or Honoré de Balz ...

. In 1859, he was named an officer 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 ...

. Cornu died on 23 October 1870 in Longpont.

Sources

* * Arnaud Bertinet, ''Sébastien Cornu, Rapport concernant le musée Napoléon III, 1862'', Institut national d'histoire de l'ar
(Online)
* Eugène Vial, "Cornu, Sébastien-Melchior", In: ''Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart'', Vol. 7: Cioffi–Cousyns, E. A. Seemann, Leipzig 1912
Online)

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornu, Sebastien-Melchior 1804 births 1870 deaths 19th-century French painters French male painters Painters from Lyon 19th-century French male artists