拍品专文
Morel-Fatio was appointed Curator of Marine Paintings to the Louvre in 1852, publishing a catalogue on the Museum's Maritime works two years later. In 1854 he was appointed official painter to France following the fleet on the Bomaroud expedition and then on to the Crimea and Orient.
His paintings were first exhibited at the Salon of 1833 and he was awarded medals in 1837, 1843 and 1848. His work was widely recognised at the time, not only for his ability to combine the realism and detail of a specific event, but because of the large number of engravings done after his work. He also painted views of France and his work regularly appeared in such revues as L'Illustration, Journal Universel and Magasin Pittoresque.
Built as the 24 Février in the shipyards of Toulon and launched under her new name in 1850, Le Napoléon (seen in the middle of our painting) is flying the French tricolour that conducts 'Le Prince-Président' from Marseille into the harbour of Toulon. The first of early modern ships, Le Napoléon was 'à vapeur et à helice' carrying 94 canon and 1200 men. She was described as "le plus beau, le plus rapide, le plus redoutable des vaisseaux de guerre".
The voyage from Marseille to Toulon took place on the eve of the coup d'état which would change Louis Napoléon's title to that of Emperor.
There are several other versions of Prince Louis-Philippe's arrival in Toulon, one of which is in the Musée de la Marine de Toulon. In our picture he has been given the central role, flanked by four steam ships, the Reine Hortense, the Prony, l'Eclaireur and the Berthollet.
L'Illustration, Journal Universel of 9 October 1852 gives an account of the arrival on September 27 in Toulon:
'Quatre heures de traversée ont porté le cortège présidentiel du Château d'If devant la grande rade de Toulon. ... Ici, nouvelles salves. L'immense rade était couverte de vaisseaux du plus haut bord, pavoisée jusqu'à la flamme et vomissant, de concurrence avec le fort Lamalque et le Petit Gibraltar, des flots de feu et de fumée. Une foule immense couvrait le rivage sur un pourtour de plusieurs milles ... M. Morel-Fatio, peintre, était du voyage, avec mission de reproduire, pour la perpétuer, cette scène ...'.
In 1871, so distressed at the sight of the Prussians descending on Paris, Morel-Fatio succumbed on the spot, dead on the terrace of the Louvre Museum.
His paintings were first exhibited at the Salon of 1833 and he was awarded medals in 1837, 1843 and 1848. His work was widely recognised at the time, not only for his ability to combine the realism and detail of a specific event, but because of the large number of engravings done after his work. He also painted views of France and his work regularly appeared in such revues as L'Illustration, Journal Universel and Magasin Pittoresque.
Built as the 24 Février in the shipyards of Toulon and launched under her new name in 1850, Le Napoléon (seen in the middle of our painting) is flying the French tricolour that conducts 'Le Prince-Président' from Marseille into the harbour of Toulon. The first of early modern ships, Le Napoléon was 'à vapeur et à helice' carrying 94 canon and 1200 men. She was described as "le plus beau, le plus rapide, le plus redoutable des vaisseaux de guerre".
The voyage from Marseille to Toulon took place on the eve of the coup d'état which would change Louis Napoléon's title to that of Emperor.
There are several other versions of Prince Louis-Philippe's arrival in Toulon, one of which is in the Musée de la Marine de Toulon. In our picture he has been given the central role, flanked by four steam ships, the Reine Hortense, the Prony, l'Eclaireur and the Berthollet.
L'Illustration, Journal Universel of 9 October 1852 gives an account of the arrival on September 27 in Toulon:
'Quatre heures de traversée ont porté le cortège présidentiel du Château d'If devant la grande rade de Toulon. ... Ici, nouvelles salves. L'immense rade était couverte de vaisseaux du plus haut bord, pavoisée jusqu'à la flamme et vomissant, de concurrence avec le fort Lamalque et le Petit Gibraltar, des flots de feu et de fumée. Une foule immense couvrait le rivage sur un pourtour de plusieurs milles ... M. Morel-Fatio, peintre, était du voyage, avec mission de reproduire, pour la perpétuer, cette scène ...'.
In 1871, so distressed at the sight of the Prussians descending on Paris, Morel-Fatio succumbed on the spot, dead on the terrace of the Louvre Museum.