Artwork Page for On a Terrace

Details / Information for On a Terrace

On a Terrace

1867

Ernest Meissonier

(French, 1815–1891)
Culture
France, 19th century
Medium
oil on wood panel
Measurements
Framed: 50.5 x 40 x 8 cm (19 7/8 x 15 3/4 x 3 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Clara Louise Gehring Bickford 1986.68
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
220 19th Century European
Print
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Did You Know?

Meissionier was known for his masterful draftsmanship and scrupulous attention to detail. He amassed a "work library" of accessories from local costume markets to ensure that the subjects in his paintings were authenticity attired.

Description

Trained as a printmaker and book illustrator, Meissonier specialized in small paintings depicting scenes from French history and literature. This painting on wood panel depicts a man dressed like a character from The Three Musketeers (published in 1844) by Alexandre Dumas père. Such paintings, admired for their technical virtuosity and romantic subjects, were immensely popular. Meissonier also painted contemporary military subjects and themes and became an arch-foe of the Realist painter Gustave Courbet.
An oil portrait depicts a man with a light skin tone in profile, standing and facing our left. He wears a black hat with a red plume, a gray jacket, and tall brown leather boots. Leaning against a brick wall, he holds a thin cane while a sword hangs from his hip. Beyond the wall, a landscape stretches under a blue sky, with bright sunlight from our right casting shadows.

On a Terrace

1867

Ernest Meissonier

(French, 1815–1891)
France, 19th century

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