Lot 223: Adolphe Yvon (French, 1817-1893), "Prisoner's

Adolphe Yvon (French, 1817-1893), "Prisoner's Escort, A Scene from the Crimean War", 1855, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 43 1/2 in. x 66 3/4 in. Provenance: Sotheby's February 25, 1982 Important 19th c. European Paintings, lot 127 Note : An important French painter of the Second Empire, Yvon studied under Paul Delaroche, and was acclaimed for his battle scenes. Shortly after the end of the Crimean War in September 1855, Yvon was commissioned by the French government to paint a large picture of the capture of the Malakoff at Sevastopol. He sailed for the Crimea on February 19, 1856 where he spent six weeks compiling a portfolio of sketches, as well as visiting the battlefield of Inkerman. In 1857, the finished painting La Prise de la tour de Malakoff 8 septembre 1855 was shown at the Paris Salon, and two years later came La Gorge de Malakoff, and La courtine de Malakoff. La Prise was a massive piece measuring 6 metres by 9 metres and represented the moment when the fortification was captured around midday. In the succeeding years, Emperor Napoleon III began to admire Yvon's battle scenes which glorified the carnage of Napoleon I campaigns. Yvon became an officer of the Légion d'Honneur in 1867, and painted Napoleon III's portrait the following year (unlocated). Yvon was known as the leading teacher of drawing at the École des Beaux-Arts (1863-83)."