Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice

Abstract
The production of a painting in early
nineteenth-century France followed
a clearly defined sequence of
steps. After drawings had been made,
the composition was outlined on the
prepared canvas and the modeling
was indicated, often with a reddishbrown
"sauce." Local color, light, and
shade were laid in; this sketch was
elaborated using a full range of tones
laid out individually on the ebauche
(palette). The final stage of painting
refined this process further. This is
demonstrated in Paul Delaroche's
The Execution of Lady Jane Grey
(1833). A pupil of Watelet and Gros,
Delaroche received much popular
acclaim during the 1830s, and a
number of eminent painters passed
through his studio. Thus he occupies
a central position in the history of
academic painting.
Paul Delaroche: A Case Study of Academic Painting
Jo Kirby* and Ashok Roy
Scientific Department, National Gallery
Trafalgar Square
London WC2N 5DN
United Kingdom
Introduction
The July Monarchy of Louis Philippe, who came to the throne in 1830, was
a period of technological advance and increasing industrialization, marked by
the rise of a wealthy and influential middle class. It was distinguished by its
adherence to the philosophy of eclecticism, not only in politics, but also in
the realm of the arts. Official art followed a middle course between the two
dominant trends, Classicism and Romanticism, showing the careful composition,
drawing, and modeling of the former and an interest in the subject
matter and emotional content of the latter. The painting of the juste milieu
could justly be described as the art of the bourgeoisie. Paul Delaroche, who
rose to prominence at this time, was one of its most popular and successful
exponents (1, 2).
Born in 1797, the son of an art dealer, Delaroche (christened Hippolyte)
entered the studio of Antoine-Jean Gros, a disciple of David, after early training
with the landscape painter Louis-Etienne Watelet and with Constant
Desbordes. The recipient of many honors, royal patronage, and several official
commissions, Delaroche achieved early Salon success. In 1833, he inherited
Gros's studio and became a professor at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts (3, 4, 5, 6).
His atelier was perhaps the busiest and most effective of the period; his pupils
included Gerome, Daubigny, Millet, Monticelli, and Thomas Couture, himself
the master of Edouard Manet (7).
The Execution of Lady Jane Grey
Delaroche's The Execution if Lady Jane Grey, finished in 1833, achieved considerable
success at the Salon exhibition of 1834. The subject, drawn from
English Tudor history and depicted with ostensible accuracy, appealed to popular
taste. The scene depicted-the moment immediately before the beheading-was
that of the greatest dramatic tension; it also touched the sensibilities
of the public without disgusting them. As Etienne-Jean Delecluze wrote,
"The spectator can contemplate the axe ... without horror" (8) (Plate 33).
The blindfolded Lady Jane fu mbles for the block; a figure who is probably
intended to be Sir John Brydges, the Lieutenant of the Tower of London,
gently guides her hand. On the left, a despairing lady-in-waiting turns her
face towards the massive column; the other lady-in-waiting, her mistress's
discarded dress across her lap, has fainted. The impassive executioner stands
on the right. Delaroche's historical sources for the painting included the Martyrologue
des Protestans of 1588, quoted in the Salon catalogue (9) . There were
a number of other publications, as well as the works of other painters, upon
which he could have drawn, including Hans Holbein the Younger's painting
of Anne of Cleves, which was at the Louvre (10, 11). Delaroche undertook
exhaustive research before any painting project (12).
Adored by the crowds, the painting was praised and condemned in almost
equal measure by the critics. The criticism that Delaroche's treatment was
theatrical rather than dramatic, voiced by Gustave Planche among others, is
interesting as it may reflect an aspect of the artist's practice: Delaroche used
small model rooms, within which he arranged wax figures to assist in the
composition of his paintings (13, 14). According to Edward Armitage, a for-
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
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Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice