The Defense of Champigny
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
- 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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