Saturday, November 2, 2013

Henri de la Rochejaquelin (1817)

Pierre-Narcisse Guérin: Henri de la Rochejaquelin

Henri de la Rochejaquelin was a leader in the counter-revolution of 1793, wherein royalist forces attempted to take France back from the forces of revolution. After seeing a great deal of action in this endeavor, he was finally killed - at the tender age of 22.

I don't know French history from the period of 1817 (when the painting was done) in enough detail to understand Guérin's motives for painting what might be considered a politically inflammatory work. Perhaps, with Napoleon finally out of the picture, he was committing himself to the forces of the Restoration?

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