Paul Delaroche History Painted Stephen Bann

Paul Delaroche acquired unmatched celebrity as a painter in the first half of the nineteenth century. His major works, which include The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, The Princess in the Tower and other paintings based on historical events, achieved widespread recognition, leading an Italian critic to remark in 1853 that Delaroche was ‘at the summit of all living painters’. But Delaroche’s fame in his own lifetime has been followed by almost total neglect in the twentieth century.

In this handsomely illustrated book, Stephen Bann redresses the imbalance of scholarship on Delaroche. He examines the artist’s career from the earliest history paintings to the later, more experimental works that were influenced by photography. Bann also offers the first detailed analysis of Delaroche’s major works in the context of the visual culture of the early nineteenth century.

Paul Delaroche: History Painted is the first monograph devoted to Delaroche.