Battery, Malakoff

1855

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Impressionism Realism Early 19th Century World War I

Dominant colour

Battery, Malakoff is a 1855 by Leon-Eugéne Méhédin, a Impressionism work, depicting World War I, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Leon-Eugéne Méhédin
When & what style?: 1855 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

This painting shows a desolate scene with cannons standing like sentinels. The image records the aftermath of a siege on the fortifications at Malakoff. It's interesting that this work is a collaboration between two people, which is rare. They documented the Crimean War, making this a unique historical record. You can learn more about this style by looking at the work of artist Leon-Eugéne Méhédin (French, 1828–1905).

The story of this work

Overview

Léon-Eugène Méhédin (French, 1828-1905) and Colonel Jean-Charles Langlois (French 1789-1870) Battery, Malakoff, 1855 Varnished salt print from waxed paper negative Credit line 1998.175 The only known collaboration of Léon-Eugène Méhédin and Colonel Jean-Charles Langlois is their gripping documentation of the Crimean War (1853- 56). This desolate image records the aftermath of a siege on the fortifications at Malakoff, near the Russian naval base of Sebastopol. The cannons stand like sentinels, witnesses to the horrors of combat. Only vestiges of human presence remain in the scraps of debris,…

Read the full account in the museum source.