SIAMESE AMBASSADORS 1893 Jean-Léon Gérôme PRINT

Original 1893 3 1/2 inch x 6 3/4 inch Engraving titled THE SIAMESE AMBASSADORS.

This painting was an official commission by the Ministère d’Etat in commemoration of the reception of the ambassadors of the king of Siam, Rama IV, by Napoleon III and the Empress Eugénie in the great Salle de Bal in the Château de Fontainebleau, 27 June, 1861. The event not only marked the re-establishment of diplomatic relations (broken off since the 17th century) but also the signature of the treaty between France and Siam, 15 August, 1856, which ensured peace between the two countries, religious freedom for missionaries, and commercial dealings. The embassy was received with great pomp at a ceremony which mirrored the famous 1684 Siamese embassy to Louis XIV.
Taking his inspiration directly from David’s ‘Sacre de Napoléon Ier’, Gérôme here painted a remarkable gallery of portraits, either taken from nature or from photographs by Nadar. 80 personalities can be identified, including the Comte Walewski, the Duc de Bassano, the Duc de Cambacérès and Mérimée. The distant vantage point, required so as to be able to get the whole of scene in the picture, makes it possible to reveal all the Renaissance splendour of the Salle de Bal with its frescoes by Nicolo dell’Abate after Primaticcio. The exactitude of the rendering gives a strong sense of reality. Indeed Gérôme fixed with almost photographic accuracy this strange encounter of East and West.

From a painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824 - 1904). A French painter and sculptor in the style now known as academicism. His paintings were so widely reproduced that he was "arguably the world's most famous living artist by 1880." The range of his oeuvre included historical painting, Greek mythology, Orientalism, portraits, and other subjects, bringing the academic painting tradition to an artistic climax. He is considered one of the most important painters from this academic period. He was also a teacher with a long list of students.

Published in the Art Journal 1893

Page size 12 1/2 inch x 9 1/4 inch

The print is in very good condition. Printed text above and below the image and on the reverse with 2 smaller images.