JEAN-BAPTISTE EDOUARD DETAILLE (FRENCH 1848-1912) The Resting Soldier, 1910 gouache and graphite on paperboard 64 x 50 cm (25 1/4 x 19 3/4 in.) signed and dated lower right
LOT NOTES An important painter of history, military subjects, and genre scenes, Edouard Detaille began his studies at the age of 17 in the workshop of Meissonier. After fighting in Spain and Algeria, Detaille returned to Paris at the very moment of declaration of war with Germany, when he continued to paint in the environs of Paris. Detaille exhibited frequently at the Paris Salon, starting in 1867, and was named a Commander of the Legion of Honor in 1897, becoming a member of the Institute in 1892. Known for his precision in his depiction of military life, almost trompe-l`oeil in verisimilitude, Detaille`s work was highly prized during his own life and afterwards.