The Corsair (1814) is a long tale in verse written by Lord Byron and published by John Murray in London. It was extremely popular, selling ten thousand copies on its first day of sale, and was influential throughout the following century, inspiring operas, music and ballet. The 180-page work was dedicated to Irish poet Thomas Moore.
Hippolyte-Paul Delaroche was a French painter who achieved his greater successes painting historical scenes. He became famous in Europe for his melodramatic depictions that often portrayed subjects from English and French history. The emotions emphasised in Delaroche's paintings appeal to Romanticism while the detail of his work along with the deglorified portrayal of historic figures follow the trends of Academicism and Neoclassicism. Delaroche aimed to depict his subjects and history with pragmatic realism. He did not consider popular ideals and norms in his creations, but rather painted all his subjects in the same light whether they were historical figures like Marie-Antoinette, figures of Christianity, or people of his time like Napoleon Bonaparte. Delaroche was a leading pupil of Antoine-Jean Gros and later mentored a number of notable artists such as Thomas Couture, Jean-Léon Gérôme, and Jean-François Millet.
Allan M'Aulay is an 1823 painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. The work was inspired by Scottish author Sir Walter Scott's 1819 novel A Legend of Montrose. It depicts the character of Allan M'Aulay. Allan M'Aulay Is shown carrying the severed head of his enemy Hector, killed in revenge for the murder of his own uncle.
Napoleon's Tomb is an 1821 oil painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. An allegory, it depicts the apotheosis of the former emperor of France Napoleon following his death in exile on the island of Saint Helena.
The Dog of the Regiment Wounded is a 1819 oil painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. It shows a battle scene from the Napoleonic Wars in which a dog, a regimental mascot, has been wounded in the fighting and is being treated by two French bandsman, a bugler of the voltigeurs and a drummer of the grenadiers.
Napoleon at the Tuileries is an 1838 history painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. It depicts Napoleon, Emperor of France, inspecting a parade of the Imperial Guard in the Place du Carrousel outside the Tuileries Palace in Paris around 1808. He is approached by a wounded veteran holding out a petition. Amongst the officers accompanying the Emperor are Eugène de Beauharnais, Joachim Murat, Michel Ney, Jean-Andoche Junot and Géraud Duroc. The Horses of Saint Mark, looted from Venice but later returned in 1815, can be seen on the right.
View of Pillnitz Castle is an 1823 landscape painting by the Norwegian artist Johan Christian Dahl. It depicts a view of the baroque Pillnitz Castle outside Dresden on the River Elbe. Dahl had long since settled in the city, and worked on romantic landscapes in the same style as his friend Caspar David Friedrich. The painting's unusual composition comes from the scene being a view out through an opened window. It is implied that it is seen from the artist's studio in the city, although Pillnitz is in fact located several miles upriver. In his delicate depiction of the case Dahl had to use the technique of a miniaturist
Duck Shooting is an 1824 genre painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. It pays homage to the artist's father Carle Vernet who was very influenced by British sporting paintings and prints. It depicts a duck hunt in the marshes. Vernet often made reference to the works of his father and grandfather Joseph Vernet, both noted painters. It was exhibited at the Salon of 1824 in Paris along with its pendant piece The Quarry. Both paintings are now in the Wallace Collection in London.
The State Barge of Cardinal Richelieu on the Rhône is an 1829 history painting by the French artist Paul Delaroche. It depicts the state barge of Cardinal Richelieu on the River Rhône in Southern France. It is followed by another boat carrying two failed conspirators Henri Coiffier de Ruzé, Marquis of Cinq-Mars and François Auguste de Thou towards their execution. The events took place in 1642 during the reign of Louis XIII and the scene was portrayed in the 1826 novel Cinq-Mars by Alfred de Vigny.
Beilstein on the Moselle is an 1837 landscape painting by the British artist Clarkson Stanfield. It depicts a view on the River Moselle at the village of Beilstein in the Rhineland. The scene is not far from the city of Koblenz. The ruins of Metternich Castle can be seen on the right. Stanfield, a former sailor turned painter of seascapes, had toured the area in the autumn of the previous year. Metternich Castle was the ancestral home of Klemens von Metternich, the Austrian statesman. In 1855 the artist's son George Clarkson Stanfield produced a view of the same scene in 1855.
Venus in Search of Cupid Surprises Diana is an 1820 oil painting by the British artist William Hilton. It depicts a scene from the poem The Faerie Queene by the Tudor era writer Edmund Spenser. The style pays homage to the Old Master Titian. Venus, searching for her son Cupid, runs across Diana and her attendants bathing nude. It was one of seven paintings that Hilton produced over a number of years illustrating scenes from the poem.
The Salon of 1836 was an art exhibition held at the Louvre in Paris. Since 1833 the Salon had been held annually, featuring paintings, sculptures and other works of art. It was followed by the Salon of 1837.
The Sorrows of Love is a 1790 genre painting by the French artist Louis-Léopold Boilly. In the early stages of his career Boilly largely produced genre paintings and portraits before switching to the street scenes of Paris for which he is best known.
Judah and Tamar is an 1840 oil painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. It portrays a biblical scene featuring the windowed Tamar who seduces her father-in-law Judah while disguised as a prostitute. Vernet was inspired by his trips to recently conquered Algeria to paint biblical scenes featuring Arabs.
The Wounded Trumpeter is a 1819 oil painting by the French artist Horace Vernet. It depicts a scene from the Napoleonic Wars. A trumpeter of the First Hussar Regiment lays wounded while both his horse and a dog show concern for the wounded soldier.
Ariadne is a c.1804 oil painting by the French artist Jean-Baptiste Greuze. It depicts Ariadne, a figure from Greek Mythology, it features her wearing a Crown of Stars. According to Ovid, the Cretan princess Ariadne had helped Theseus defeat the Minotaur and escape the Labyrinth, only to be abandoned by him on the island of Naxos.
The Broken Mirror is a 1763 genre painting by the French artist Jean-Baptiste Greuze. A molaristic allegory, it functions as a parable. While ostensibly it portrays a young woman who has broken a mirror, the chaotic interior and her dress presents her as a careless woman who has lost her virginity despite not being married and now regrets it.
Rebecca and Brian de Bois-Guilbert is an 1828 oil painting by the French artist Léon Cogniet. It depicts a scene from the 1819 novel Ivanhoe, one of Walter Scott's Waverley Novels that takes place in the Medieval era. Scott's stories were very popular in France during the Restoration period and a number of romantic painters drew on them for inspiration for their works. It also reflected the growing influence of Orientalism in art. It portrays the abduction of Rebecca by the member of the Knights Templar Brian de Bois-Guilbert.
Portrait of Théodore Géricault is an 1823 portrait painting by the French artist Horace Vernet depicting his friend and fellow painter Théodore Géricault.
The Divorce of the Empress Josephine is an 1846 history painting by the French artist Henri Frédéric Schopin. It depicts the formal divorce of Joséphine de Beauharnais from her husband Napoleon, Emperor of France, at the Tuileries Palace in Paris on 15 December 1809. The couple were unable to have children together and Napoleon sought an heir. After the divorce he was to marry the young Marie Louise, daughter of Francis I of Austria in 1810.
