Study for "Visit of the Emperor Napoleon III and the Empress to Algeria"

Isidore Pils French

Not on view

After achieving success with paintings of Crimean War subjects, Pils received a commission for a monumental work commemorating Napoleon III’s visit to Algeria in 1860. Though the painting is now lost, an oil sketch reveals that this drawing is a study for the central figure of the composition, one of the Kabyle leaders who received the Emperor. Pils spent two years in Kabylie, a northern region of Algeria, sketching the landscape and people. In this accomplished study, he effectively combines black and white chalks to convey the light hitting the burnous, a garment traditionally worn for important events by high-ranking individuals.

Study for "Visit of the Emperor Napoleon III and the Empress to Algeria", Isidore Pils (French, Paris 1813/15–1875 Douarnenez), Black and white chalk on gray paper

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.