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1845 Arnout View of the Vendôme Column, Place de Vendôme, Paris,France
ColonneVendome-arnout-1845$300.00
Title
Colonne de la Place Vendôme.
1845 (undated) 13.5 x 17 in (34.29 x 43.18 cm)
1845 (undated) 13.5 x 17 in (34.29 x 43.18 cm)
Description
This is a c. 1845 Jules Arnout view of the Vendôme Column (Colonne Vendôme) in the Place Vendôme in Paris, France. From the front, the statue of Napoleon in a military officer's coat adorning the top of the column is clearly visible. While not legible, the detailed relief work on the column is evident. Parisians promenade through the square on foot and in horse-drawn carriages. The buildings surrounding the north side of the square appear in the background.
The Vendôme Column
The Vendôme Column took the place of a statue of King Louis XIV destroyed during the French Revolution. The Revolutionary government, under then First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, declared that columns glorifying France should be constructed in all departmental capitals. Only one of these projects was ever started, let alone finished: the Vendôme Column. It took years to build with construction beginning after Napoleon's 1805 capture of 108 tons of enemy canon. Originally meant to be dedicated to the 'glory of the French people', by 1810, when the column was finished, it was dedicated to 'the glory of Napoleon I' and topped with a statue of Napoleon as Roman emperor. The statue of Napoleon as a Roman emperor was taken down in 1814 and replaced with a white flag during the occupation of Paris. The statue was melted down and used to create as statue of either Louis XIV or Henri IV. No one knows exactly what happened to it. A new statue of Napoleon in a military frock was put atop the column during the July Monarchy (1830 - 1848) on July 28, 1833. This was taken down in 1863 by Napoleon III who replaced with a replica statue of Napoleon as a Roman emperor. The Vendôme Column was toppled during the Paris Commune (March 18, 1871 - May 28, 1871) and rebuilt in 1873, the column that stands today.Publication History and Census
This view was drawn by Jules Arnout, printed by Rose-Joseph Lemercier, and published by Henri Jeannin c. 1845. We note only one cataloged example, part of the collection at the Musée Carnavalet in Paris, France.CartographerS
Louis-Jules Arnout (June 1, 1814 - September 26, 1882) was a French artist, painter, and lithographer active during the mid-19th century. His father, Jean-Baptiste Arnout (June 24, 1788 - October 5, 1873), taught Jean-Louis the art of lithography as well as painting and other art forms. Arnout created works depicting landscapes and French, Swiss, Italian, and English cities. He displayed his work at the Paris Salon in 1852 and 1865. He died in Toulouse. He had one son, Auguste-Paul Arnout. More by this mapmaker...
Rose-Joseph Lemercier (June 29, 1803 - 1887) was a French photographer, lithographer, and printer. One of the most important Parisian lithographers of the 19th century, Lemercier was born in Paris into a family of seventeen children. His father was a basket maker, and he even began working as a basket maker at the age of fifteen, but Lemercier was drawn to lithography and printing and soon entered into an apprenticeship with Langlumé, where he worked from 1822 until 1825. After working for a handful of other printers, Lemercier started his own firm in 1828 at 2, rue Pierre Sarrazin with only one printing press. He subsequently moved a few more times before arriving at 57, rue de Seine, where he founded the printing firm Lemercier and Company. Lemercier created the firm Lemercier, Bénard and Company in 1837 with Jean François Bénard. Lemercier bought out Bénard's share in the firm in 1843 and, since his two sons died at a young age, he decided to bring his nephew Alfred into the business beginning in 1862, who would progressively take on more and more responsibility in running the firm. Between 1850 and 1870, Lemercier's firm was the largest lithographic company in Paris. The firm began to decline in prestige in the early 1870s, and, after Lemercier's death in 1887, its descent only quickened. It is unclear when the firm closed, but Alfred directed the firm until his death in 1901. Learn More...
Henri Jules Jeannin (fl. 1829 - 1854) was a French print publisher active in Paris in the mid 19th century. Jeannin maintained offices at No. 20, Rue du Croissant in Paris from 1829 - 1835 and then move is office to No. 20, Place du Louvre in Paris. Little else is known about Jeannin. Learn More...
Condition
Very good.