Regina Angelorum (1900)

William Bouguereau: Regina Angelorum

With this final offering, we come to the end of our journey through 19th-century French painting. I hope you have enjoyed it.

Druids Cutting the Mistletoe (1900)

Henri-Paul Motte: Druids Cutting the Mistletoe on the Sixth Day of the Moon

During the Druid celebration of the Winter Solstice, the dark force Mean Geimhridh weakened in its battle against the sun as the days began to lengthen. When darkness gave way to the first rays of light, bonfires were lit in fields, crops and trees charmed with prayers and huge feasts prepared in barns.

On the sixth day of the moon, the first day of the Celtic month, the Yule time All-Heal ritual was performed. Dressed in ceremonial white robes, the Druid priest and priestess cut the mistletoe from the tree with a golden sickle. This mysterious evergreen plant is sacred to the Druids. Found embedded in ancient oaks, apples and poplars, suspended mid-way between heaven and earth, it symbolises a gateway to another world. A spray was given to every family to hang in their homes to intensify spells and prayers, to protect the inhabitants and induce beautiful dreams. Beneath it, a kiss of peace was exchanged.

Henri Motte was a student of Jean-Léon Gérôme, exhibiting for most of his life at the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris. He specialised in historical and mythological paintings such as Hannibal Crossing the Rhone and Vercingetorix Surrendering to Caesar, receiving a bronze medal at the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris. He was awarded Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1892. [Leicester Galleries]

Le Café de Paris (1900)

Jean Béraud: Le Café de Paris

Pierrot’s Embrace (1900)

Guillaume Seignac: Pierrot’s Embrace

La Première Pose (1900)

Pierre Carrier-Belleuse: La Première Pose

William Bouguereau (1900)

 William Bouguereau: A Childhood Idyll

  

William Bouguereau: The Little Marauder

Inauguration of the Premier, Pierre du Pont Alexandre III

Pierre Louis Vauthier: Inauguration of the Premier, Pierre du Pont Alexandre III, 

On the Occasion of the Universal Exposition of 1900

Ophelia (1900)

Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret: Ophelia

A Welcome Distraction (ca. 1900)

Madeleine Lemaire: A Welcome Distraction from Piano Practice

Le Chalet du Cycle au Bois de Boulogne (1900)

Jean Béraud: Le Chalet du Cycle au Bois de Boulogne

Les fleurs du lac (1900)

Edgard Maxence: Les fleurs du lac

Danae (1900)

Carolus-Duran: Danäe

Danäe is depicted here locked away from the reach of all men by her father - well, almost - and down from the roof comes Zeus in the shower of gold.

In Greek myth, Danäe was the royal daughter of Acrisius, an ancient king of Argos. After an oracle warned her father that Danäe's son would someday kill him, Acrisius had his daughter shut up inside a sealed room, atop an impenetrable bronze tower, away from all men. However, Zeus -- the amorous and all-powerful king of gods - desired Danäe. He came to her through the roof of the sealed chamber, in the form of a shower of gold that poured down into her lap. As a result of this union, Danäe had a son - Perseus - the hero who later took on the chilling Medusa. [John Singer Sargent Virtual Gallery]

Maternity (1899)

Paul Alexandre Alfred Leroy: Maternity

Femme En Deshabillee Verte (1899)

Pierre Carrier-Belleuse: Femme En Deshabillee Verte

Joyous Frolics (1899)

Paul Emile Chabas: Joyous Frolics

Greek Twilight (1899)

Paul Alexandre Alfred Leroy: Greek Twilight

Le Boulevard St. Denis, Paris (1899)

Jean Béraud: Le Boulevard St. Denis, Paris

Vercingetorix throws down his arms (1899)

Lionel-Noël Royer: Vercingetorix throws down his arms at the feet of Julius Caesar

Peonies and Plums (1899)

Gustave Emile Couder: Peonies and Plums

The Banks of the Marne (1899)

Ferdinand Joseph Gueldry: The Banks of the Marne