Louis Gueymard (1822–1880) as Robert le Diable

Gustave Courbet painted Louis Gueymard (1822–1880) as Robert le Diable in 1857, an oil on canvas portrait that was first exhibited at the Salon de Paris on 15 June 1857. The work, described as a historiated portrait, shows the actor in the climactic dice‑game scene of the opera Robert le Diable. After Courbet’s death the painting entered the collection of Adolphe Régnard, who acquired it from the artist’s estate, and was subsequently sold to American collector A. A. Anderson; Anderson’s widow, Elizabeth Milbank Anderson, bequeathed it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1919. The museum’s records list the painting’s inception as 1857‑01‑01 and its dimensions as 148.6 × 106.7 cm.

Following its debut at the Paris Salon on June 15, 1857, the painting entered the collection of Adolphe Régnard. After Gustave Courbet's death, dealer Paul Durand-Ruel exhibited the work on loan from Régnard before selling it to American collector A. A. Anderson. Upon Anderson's death, his widow, Elizabeth Milbank Anderson, bequeathed the canvas to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it arrived in 1919.

Currently held in the museum's permanent collection, the work is cataloged under the title Louis Gueymard (1822–1880) as Robert le Diable.

The painting Louis Gueymard (1822–1880) as Robert le Diable, executed by Gustave Courbet in 1857, is recorded as an oil on canvas work classified simply as a painting (1). It portrays the actor Louis Gueymard in the role of Meyerbeer’s 1831 opera Robert le Diable, a scene observed during the first act’s dice‑game (3). The canvas was shown at the 1857 Salon de Paris, marking its contemporary presentation (3).

Art historical surveys note its status as a historiated portrait, one of the few instances in which Courbet depicted a theatrical figure, reflecting his limited but notable engagement with performance culture (3). The work entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1919 through the bequest of Elizabeth Milbank Anderson (2). Its provenance and scholarly attention illustrate the painting’s significance within 19th‑century French portraiture and the broader cultural exchange between opera and visual art.

Gustave Courbet's 1857 oil painting, "Louis Gueymard as Robert le Diable," depicts the French actor in character. This work exemplifies Courbet's Realist approach, focusing on observable contemporary life rather than idealized or historical narratives. It is currently housed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, representing a significant example of 19th-century French painting.