24 Works, July 17th. is Paul Delaroche’s day, his story, illustrated with footnotes #194
The victors of the Bastille in front of the Hôtel de Ville, July 14, 1789, c. between 1830 and 1838
Oil on canvas
Height: 400cm, Width: 435 cm
Petit Palais, Museum of Fine Arts of the City of Paris
Shortly after the arrival of Louis-Philippe, the painters Delaroche, Cogniet, Schnetz and Drolling receive orders for four large paintings for the Throne Room of the Hotel de Ville, to celebrate the heroes of the revolutions of July 1789 and July 1830.
It was up to Paul Delaroche to represent “the People returning victorious from the Bastille”.
On the evening of the 14th of July, 1789, the heroes of the day, wounded, in rags, but triumphant, arrived in front of the Hotel de Ville, bringing back the trophies wrested from the old prison. The central figure victoriously brandishes the key of the fortress and a letter signed by Launay, the governor of the Bastille which has just been lynched by the crowd. More on this painting
Paul Delaroche (17 July 1797–4 November 1856) was a French painter who achieved his greater successes painting historical scenes. He became famous in Europe for his melodramatic depictions that often portrayed subjects from English and French history…