Paul Delaroche was one of the most celebrated artists of the first half of the nineteenth century. His major paintings, which include Lady Jane Grey, The Princes in the Tower, Young Christian Martyr, and other works based on historical events, achieved widespread recognition throughout Europe. Although Delaroche's major works continue to be popular when they are exhibited, his name is little known among many museum goers today. This is the first fully illustrated book to be devoted to Delaroche since the publication of a small catalogue raisonne after the artist's death in 1856. Stephen Bann's volume also offers the first detailed analysis of Delaroche's major works that seeks to place them within the context of the visual culture of the early nineteenth century. Its appearance coincides with the bicentenary of Delaroche's birth in 1797, and may be expected to initiate a broad reappraisal of his significance as an artist.
Delaroche is possibly the most widely copied artist of the period, with examples ranging from the acknowledged masterpieces of reproductive engraving by Mercuri and Henriquel Dupont, to the first retrospective catalog of his works illustrated entirely by photographs. Bann seeks to detail how Delaroche's widely known and memorable images have been built up through drawings and references to other works. The result is a unique study that surveys the whole spectrum of visual representation -- including paintings, drawings, refined reproductive engravings, lithographs, photographs, and popular prints.
