1810
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Death of General Colbert is a 1810 unspecified by Jean Victor Schnetz, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows a wounded general lying on the ground as two soldiers kneel beside him. A third soldier salutes in the background. The uniforms and weapons look very real. The artist painted this as a study for a big salon painting that’s now lost. It captures a tragic moment from Napoleon’s wars in Spain. The bodies and faces show real feeling. You can see this in person at The Cleveland Museum of Art.
In 1809, the popular young French military hero General Auguste Colbert died at a battle in Spain. The following year, Schnetz depicted the moment of Colbert's death. This is the study for a much larger painting exhibited at the Paris Salon, but now lost. The exploits of Napoleon and his army were popular subjects for French artists whose work was shown in official exhibitions.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Jean-Victor Schnetz (French pronunciation: ; April 14, 1787 in Versailles – March 15, 1870 in Paris) was a French academic painter well regarded for his historical and genre paintings.
See the richer artist page
