François Pascal Simon Gérard, titled as Baron Gérard in 1809, was a French painter. He was born in Rome, where his father occupied a post in the house of the French ambassador, and his mother was Italian.
Paintings by François Gérard
Portrait of Juliette Récamier (1801)
Portrait of Juliette Récamier is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French painter François Gérard, created in 1802. It depicts the Parisian salonier Juliette Récamier, a famous beauty of his time, in a classic pose, but with an unmistakable sensuality. The painting is held in the Musée Carnavalet, in Paris.
Juliette Récamier (1777–1849), née Bernard, was the wife of the wealthy and much older banker Jacques Récamier (1751–1830). Since 1799 she held a popular salon in Paris for many years, which became an important meeting place for artists and intellectuals, many of whom were opponents of Napoleon. She was known for her beauty and was portrayed several times by various prominent painters.
Battle of Austerlitz, 2 December 1805 (Gérard) (1808)
Battle Of Austerlitz, 2 December 1805 is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French painter François Gérard from 1810. The painting depicts the moment at the conclusion of the Battle of Austerlitz in which the French General Jean Rapp presents to Napoleon Bonaparte the captured Prince Repnin, commander of the Russian Imperial Guard, signifying the victory of Napoleon's army over the combined forces of Russia and Austria. One of three paintings commissioned by Napoleon following the victory, Gérard's work stands out as the sole history painting, highlighting the bravery of the French guard (Grande Armée) and modesty of its leader. It is currently displayed in the Gallery of the Battles, at the Palace of Versailles.
Gérard was commissioned to create the large canvas in 1806. It was originally meant to decorate the ceiling of the Conseil d’État (French State Council). The painting was shown for the first time at the Paris Salon of 1810, two years later than planned.
Cupid and Psyche (Gérard) (1798)
Cupid and Psyche (or Allegory of Eros and Psyche) is an oil-on-canvas painting by French painter François Gérard, from 1798. It was exhibited for the first time at the Salon of 1798. It is held in the Louvre, in Paris.
The scene takes place in a green landscape, which serves as the background for the action. The young princess Psyche is depicted here as being somewhat surprised by the first kiss she is receiving from Cupid (or Eros), which remains invisible to her eyes. The ancient myth told here is not only a love story, but also a metaphysical allegory: Psyche is in fact the personification of the human soul, related to the overwhelming passion, and to the libido. This work created by Gérard, who had been a pupil of Jacques-Louis David, testifies the evolution of his neoclassical style.
Entry of Henry IV into Paris (1817)
Entry of Henry IV into Paris (French: Entrée de Henri IV à Paris le 22 mars 1594) is an oil on canvas history painting by the French artist Francois Gérard, from 1817. It is held at the Galerie des Batailles, in the Palace of Versailles.
It depicts Henry IV of France entering Paris for the first time as monarch on 22 March 1594. The king had converted to Catholicism and declared that "Paris is worth a mass" in an attempt to end the French Wars of Religion. A deliberate parallel was drawn with the restoration of Louis XVIII to the throne following the Hundred Days.
Flora Caressed by Zephyr (1802)
Flora Caressed by Zephyr (French: Flore caressée par Zéphyr), also titled Dawn (L'Aurore), is an oil on canvas painting by the French painter François Gérard, from 1802. It depicts the love of Flora (Spring) and Zephyr (the West Wind) from Greco-Roman mythology.
The picture was produced in 1802 as part of a series of works commissioned for the private mansion of Charles Gaudin, the French Minister of Finance. It is now in the Museum of Grenoble.
Coronation Portrait of Charles X (1824)
Portrait of Charles X in Coronation Robes is an 1825 portrait painting by the French artist François Gérard. It depicts the reigning French monarch Charles X in his coronation robes. The Coronation of Charles X had taken place in Reims on 29 May 1825, a return to the traditional ceremony of the pre-Revolution Ancien Régime. The King appears with the crown and sceptre, wearing ermine robes and the Order of the Holy Spirit. His reactionary rule ultimately led to his overthrow in the July Revolution of 1830. Gérard was adept at navigating the political changes in France, in his time painting portraits of Napoleon I, Louis XVIII and Louis Philippe I.
It was commissioned for 12,000 francs. The original painting was completed some months before the coronation and given subsequently to the Prince de Talleyrand , Grand Chamberlain of France. It is now in a private British Collection. Other versions, produced by the artist with varying degrees of participation by Gérard himself include one in the collection of the Palace of Versailles. A version, presented to Ferdinand VII of Spain, is also in the Prado Museum in Madrid. Another version is at Apsley House, the London residence of the Duke of Wellington, while the dowager Marchioness of Salisbury purchased one directly from the artist - this is now in the collection at Hatfield House. In 1827 Gérard produced a history painting The Coronation of Charles X depicting the coronation ceremony.
Portrait of Talleyrand (1808)
Portrait of Talleyrand is an 1808 portrait painting by the artist François Gérard of the French statesman Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord. It is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York.
It was commissioned by Talleyrand shortly after he had resigned as French Foreign Minister following a disagreement with the emperor Napoleon over policy towards France's European rivals, particularly Russia. Talleyrand remained an informal advisor to Napoleon. He later briefly served as Prime Minister of France following the Bourbon Restoration.
Napoleon I as Emperor (1805)
Napoleon I as Emperor, also known as Napoleon I in his Coronation Robes (French: Portrait de l’empereur Napoléon Ier en robe de sacre), is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French artist François Gérard, produced in 1805 under the First French Empire and currently displayed at the Palace of Versailles. Gérard initially produced the painting as an official portrait of Napoleon I for his throne room at the Tuileries Palace. It was later moved to the Palace of Versailles. The painting spent time at the Louvre, at the Élysée Palace (from 1849 to 1851 under the presidency of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte), then at the Château de Saint-Cloud before returning to Versailles in 1894.
The painting depicts the emperor Napoleon I at his coronation on 2 December 1804. He is standing before a blue-cushioned gilt throne, wearing a white robe embroidered with gold thread, a long red coronation cloak trimmed with ermine, and white coronation gloves. His head is crowned with golden laurels, and he is wearing a golden collar of the Légion d'honneur. He is holding a staff topped by an eagle in his right hand, and his left hand is resting by his side; further to his right is a stool bearing an orb and cross and an ivory-headed sceptre, a Hand of Justice typical of the French Crown Jewels.
Portrait of Joachim Murat (1808)
Portrait of Joachim Murat is an oil-on-canvas painting created in 1808 by the French painter François Gérard. It depicts general Joachim Murat. It is held in Room 54 of the National Museum of Capodimonte, in Naples.
It shows Murat in the pose of Michelangelo's David and was commissioned by him after his accession to the throne of the Two Sicilies for the Palace of Portici. It is a replica of a painting commissioned for the Diana Gallery at the Tuileries Palace, later moved to the Palace of Versailles.
Corinne at Cape Misenum (1819)
Corinne at Cape Misenum is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French artist François Gérard, created in 1819–1821. It depicts the title character from Corinne, an 1808 novel by Madame de Stael, at Cape Miseno, focusing on an Ancient Greek poet. The painting is held now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon.
Portrait of Joséphine de Beauharnais (1807)
Portrait of Joséphine de Beauharnais is an 1808 portrait painting by François Gérard. It depicts Joséphine de Beauharnais, the Empress of France. A member of the Tascher noble family, she was the first wife of Napoleon and their marriage was annulled in 1810. She is shown at full-length in ceremonial robes.
The work was exhibited at the Salon of 1808 at the Louvre in Paris. Gerard was a celebrated portraitist during the Napoleonic era, and his career continued to flourish following the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1815. He painted many members of the Bonaparte dynasty.
Portrait of the Duke of Berry (1820)
Portrait of the Duke of Berry is an oil on canvas portrait painting by the French artist François Gérard, from 1820.
It depicts Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry, the second son of the future Charles X of France who was then Count of Artois. Berry was the nephew of the reigning monarch Louis XVIII, who had come to throne following the defeat of Napoleon's Empire.