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The Defense of Champigny

1879
Not on view
In this battle picture, shown in the Salon of 1879, Détaille depicts an incident that he had observed on December 2, 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War. General Faron's soldiers are shown fortifying their new position at the town of Champigny-sur-Marne, near Paris, and breaking openings in the wall for cannons. General Faron is at the left, talking to an old gardener. The artist painted a replica of the picture in 1879 (private collection) and returned to the subject for a huge panorama of the battle (now destroyed) that he executed with de Neuville in 1882.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Defense of Champigny
  • Artist: Edouard Detaille (French, Paris 1848–1912 Paris)
  • Date: 1879
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 48 x 84 3/4 in. (121.9 x 215.3 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Henry Hilton, 1887
  • Object Number: 87.20.2
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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