The Bathers (1830)

Louis Hersent: The Bathers

Casimir Perier (1827)

Louis Hersent: Casimir Perier

The subject, M. Perier, was a French statesman, President of the Council (essentially: Prime Minister) in 1831-32 (at which time he died from cholera).

Les Religieux du mont Saint-Gothard (1824)

Louis Hersent: Les Religieux du mont Saint-Gothard

This dramatic painting depicts a group of monks aiding a family attacked by brigands in the mountains.

Ruth and Boaz (1822)

 Louis Hersent: Ruth and Boaz

The story of Ruth and Boaz comes from the Biblical Book of Ruth. Paintings of these two usually show them meeting (or flirting) in Boaz's barley field. Hersent's canvas is much more daring.

A couple of other paintings of Ruth and Boaz are below.

 George Frederic Watts: Ruth and Boaz (ca. 1835-7)

  

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld: Ruth in the Field of Boaz (1828)

Henri-Charles-Ferdinand d’Artois, Duc de Bordeaux in his cradle (1821)

Louis Hersent: Henri-Charles-Ferdinand d’Artois, Duc de Bordeaux 

in his cradle with his sister Louise-Marie-Thérèse d’Artois in the Tuileries Palace

Daphnis and Chloe (1817)

Louis Hersent: Daphnis and Chloe

These two were the subjects of a second-century AD Greek novel. It is the story of a boy (Daphnis) and a girl (Chloe), each of whom is exposed at birth along with some identifying tokens. A goatherd named Lamon discovers Daphnis, and a shepherd called Dryas finds Chloe. Each decides to raise the child he finds as his own. Daphnis and Chloe grow up together, herding the flocks for their foster parents. They fall in love but, being naive, do not understand what is happening to them. Philetas, a wise old cowherd, explains to them what love is and tells them that the only cure is "kissing." They do this. Eventually, Lycaenion, a woman from the city, educates Daphnis in love-making. Daphnis, however, decides not to test his newly acquired skill on Chloe, because Lycaenion tells Daphnis that Chloe "will scream and cry and lie bleeding heavily [as if murdered]." Throughout the book, Chloe is courted by suitors, two of whom (Dorcon and Lampis) attempt with varying degrees of success to abduct her. She is also carried off by raiders from a nearby city and saved by the intervention of the god Pan. Meanwhile, Daphnis falls into a pit, gets beaten up, is abducted by pirates, and is very nearly raped. In the end, Daphnis and Chloe are recognized by their birth parents, get married, and live out their lives in the country. [Wikipedia]

Louis XVI Distributing Alms to the Poor (1817)

Louis Hersent: Louis XVI Distributing Alms to the Poor

I see this as basically a propaganda picture - "see, we rich and powerful are actually nice and generous."

Louis Hersent (1777-1860) was a student of David. He was most active during the Restoration period.