Paul Delaroche’s Artistic Career: A Master of History Paintings

Paul Delaroche was a 19th-century French painter who specialized in and earned his fame in history paintings. Most of his work focused on emotional tales taken from English history. Delaroche experienced massive success among his contemporaries, and his paintings continue to inspire modern audiences in the 21st century. Read on to learn more about Paul Delaroche and his fascinating artworks.

Delaroche was born in Paris, France in 1797 to a wealthy artistic family. His father was a well-known art collector in the city, giving the young Delaroche opportunities that other families may not have had. He trained as an artist in the studios of Watelet and Gros. He first exhibited at the Salon in 1822, with a painting called Christ Descended from the Cross. Though this painting was successful, he would become known for his later history paintings, which held strong under the academy’s hierarchy of art and evoked strong emotions from the audience.

The Sequel to a Duel is one of these later paintings. In this work, a woman is distraught as she gives her lover one last kiss. According to the title, a duel has just occurred. Judging from the male figure’s pallid skin and weak countenance, the duel did not have a satisfying ending for the painting’s couple. The table is cluttered with medicines and bandages. The candlelight that illuminates the table shines onto the bed linens, casting an eerie red glow over his body. His hand lays limp in his lap. It is difficult to tell if the dueling victim is on death’s doorstep or if he has already passed, eliciting a desperate goodbye from the woman. The panicked and teary-eyed expression of the woman indicates tragedy. The emotion of the artwork is catching, creating a sense of sorrow and mourning.

Climbing the Hierarchy of Art

It depicts a young girl, Joan of Arc, being questioned by an angry cardinal. Behind him, a man records her answers. The fear in her eyes brings viewers into the emotion of the scene, but she is not looking at the cardinal. Though she is clearly afraid of the man in front of her, her eyes peer up to the Heavens as she prays to the God, whom she believed had guided her to lead the French army to victory against the English at Orleans in 1429.

The scene is dark, yet she is illuminated in a light that makes her glow. This is in contrast to the light falling on the cardinal. His scarlet garments signal danger, evoking imagery of anger, danger, and gore. However, despite the illumination of both figures, Joan’s skin seems to glow white from within. It can be understood as a visual representation of her spiritual purity and determination to do her God’s bidding, a quality for which she would be sainted for in 1920, roughly five hundred years after her horrific execution.

In 1833, Delaroche was hired as a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he ran an extensive, collaborative project with four other artists from 1837-1841 called The Hemicycle. This is a large panorama that shows over 70 artists conversing with each other through time. The outdoor scene is reminiscent of both antiquity and Renaissance art, calling on imagery from other known paintings, such as Pietro Perugino’s The Delivery of the Keys to Saint Peter (1481-1482) or Raphael’s School of Athens (1509-1511), which themselves call on imagery from ancient Rome. It is located in the dome of the school’s entrance, situated in three sections that make a whole, rounded display. The artists shown in the panorama span across the centuries, welcoming the up-and-coming artists as they enter the school.

The Sons of Edward depict Edward V and Richard, Duke of York. They huddle in fear as they hear something approaching, yet they cannot run because they are imprisoned. A little dog stands in the corner of the painting, on guard to protect its young owners from the dangers that are lurking off the edge of the canvas. They were the sons and heirs of King Edward IV of England. King Richard III, brother to Edward IV, intercepted Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, on the way to the eldest boy’s coronation.

Richard III took power for himself and placed the boys in the Tower of London under the guise of safety during turbulent politics. Time continued with the boys in the Tower until they altogether vanished and were never seen again. It is unclear what exactly happened to the boys, with most theories involving murder, which have been somewhat backed up by the discovery of two skeletons matching the princes’ descriptions, discovered buried under a stairwell in 1674, almost two hundred years after the princes’ disappearances.

As Delaroche continued to exhibit at the Salon, he became more interested in history scenes, specifically those taken from English history. This earned him additional fame across more areas of Europe, with his work becoming particularly well-known in England, and solidified his position as a master painter of the 19th century. The time period that Delaroche was born into was seeing an artistic transition from Neoclassicism to Romanticism, which challenged the art academy’s hierarchy. Delaroche sought to find a middle ground—a history painting that could tell the historical story while maintaining strong and palpable emotions for viewers. The hierarchy was structured as such:

1. History Painting
2. Portraiture
3. Genre Painting
4. Landscapes
5. Still Life Painting

Oliver Cromwell with the Corpse of Charles I shows Cromwell peering into a coffin, which is propped up on a wooden chair and holds the body of the former king who was executed by beheading. The scene shows the moment when Cromwell ensures the King is dead so that he may move forward with creating a republic in England. The republic lasted from 1649-1660 before Charles II, the son of the beheaded King, was reinstated as monarch. History paintings that depicted scenes like these were held in high esteem, especially among academicians.

The hierarchy of art originated in the mid-15th century when ideas of ranking artistic genres began to appear. The first academy to officially incorporate the hierarchy of art into its institution was the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1669. By the 19th century, it was officially implemented in academies, sometimes by the monarchy itself, depending on the academy’s location.

Hierarchy allowed them some control over what paintings would be shown to the public and historically cherished. The academies were aware of great artists from history. The hierarchy of art upheld their authority over who and what could go down in history as great art. It also gave them the power to limit certain aspects of society from perceived art historical greatness, such as women. An example of this behavior in practice would be considering history painting to be the pinnacle of great art while maintaining that it was more appropriate for women to make still-life paintings. Likewise, academies of the 19th century considered it imperative to understand the nude form to be considered a great artist, yet women were systemically barred from attending life-drawing courses or an improper environment for ladies. Delaroche, however, would not face these problems and would experience astounding success.

In The Death of Elizabeth I, Queen of England, Delaroche depicts a chaotic scene of distraught, worried courtiers as their Queen is actively dying. Her face has turned a sickly green. Her servants cry and pray behind her. She remains dripping in pearls, a symbol of her lifelong chastity. Advisors gather, one reaching down to offer his sympathies and remind her that a choice needs to be made regarding an heir to the kingdom.

At the end of Queen Elizabeth I’s life, she had still not named an heir to the throne. As the Virgin Queen, she had never married and had no children of her own to take the throne after her death. For unknown reasons that many speculate, she refused to name either of her eligible cousins as heir to the throne—perhaps out of fear that they may try to end her reign early to begin their own, or perhaps out of fear of the inevitability of death. This caused quite a panic when she went to her deathbed. According to Royal Museums Greenwich, the dying Queen indicated which of her cousins—King James VI of Scotland—would become the next monarch by circling her finger in the shape of a crown over her head at the mention of his name. She had already lost her speech capabilities.

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey is arguably Delaroche’s most well-known artwork. Though not entirely historically accurate, as the scene would have actually taken place outside, the painting does a marvelous job of drawing the audience into the dramatic scene. Delaroche has placed the scene indoors, creating a dark and shadowy atmosphere. Jane’s white dress, symbolizing her innocence, glows within the dark scene as she is helped down to the block where she is to die. Accounts of the actual execution recall her panicking after the blindfold was placed, crying out, “What shall I do? Where is the block?” In response to the cries, Sir John Brydges, Lieutenant of the Tower, assisted her. Behind her, her ladies lament at the coming death of their mistress. Even the executioner, who stands out in stark red, seems unhappy about the events to come, his brows furrowed as he watches.

Lady Jane Grey was named the heir to the throne by Edward VI, who hastily named her his heir on his deathbed. Edward was a staunch Protestant and sought to prevent his Catholic sister, the future Queen Mary I, from taking the throne by placing his Protestant cousin upon it. Lady Jane Grey was given a coronation and made Queen at only seventeen years old. It would only last nine days, earning her the nickname the Nine Day Queen. Jane was reluctant to become Queen, knowing the dangers of treason and that the English people supported Mary.

Mary was able to muster forces with her popular support. She marched to London and reclaimed her rightful place on the throne. Lady Jane Grey was imprisoned at the Tower of London, but Mary understood that she was only a political pawn for plotters looking to gain power and that the young girl’s family was the true aggressors behind the plot to put Jane on the throne. Mary’s decision of whether to execute her young cousin weighed heavily on her shoulders. However, Protestant plots arose to reinstate Jane as Queen, and in the end, Mary felt it necessary to condemn her young cousin to death.

In Bonaparte Crossing the Alps, Delaroche depicts Napoleon Bonaparte on his horse as they cross the mountain range. The landscape is cold and frozen, the white of the snow sticking to the horse’s hooves and the boots of those traveling by foot. Behind him, the background is a great example of Delaroche’s handle on atmospheric perspective. The mountains are seemingly hazy, taking into account the air within the distance between the foreground and expansive background to create an image with illusionistic depth.

Towards the end of his life, Delaroche’s interest in history would extend to more recent history as well. In the mid-19th century, decades after Napoleon Bonaparte’s death, Delaroche developed a fascination with the historical figure. Multiple paintings were created depicting Napoleon. Many of his contemporaries were shocked at how accurately the emperor was portrayed, despite Delaroche never having met the man. Some viewers who had met the emperor earlier in their lives could not believe that Delaroche had never met him, the likeness was so precise.

Paul Delaroche’s Lost Love

Despite his successful career, Delaroche experienced tragedy with the early loss of his beloved wife. Their relationship had been known for its tenderness, and Delaroche was devastatingly changed when she passed away from illness in 1845 at the age of 31. They met through her father, Horace Vernet, who was an old friend and colleague of Delaroche’s. The couple had come to know each other naturally, allowing for a deep connection within the marriage.

On her deathbed, he created a sketch that is now housed at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. It is titled Study for Louise Vernet on Her Deathbed. This drawing was then used to create other artwork later in Delaroche’s life, such as The Young Martyr. It depicts a beautiful woman floating, deceased, in the water. A halo indicates her passing into Heaven, and a soft white glow seemingly comes from within her—perhaps this is her spirit leaving her body, or the pale stream of moonlight enshrining her in eternal night. Behind her is a man standing on a hill with the last remnants of the sun setting behind him. Accounts from people who knew Delaroche indicate that he never got over his wife’s untimely death.