Picture Title

I have "run into" this picture in a number of settings but have not been able to identify it precisely by title, medium, artist, period, etc.  Anyone know?  Is it an illustration?

It depicts the final defense of St. Jean d'Acre.

Pat Lang

For those interested a friend has provided the following information about the picture:

""Guillaume de Clermont defending Ptolemais (Acre), 1291," by Dominque Louis Papety, dated 1845?"

Comments

[Patrick Henry]

Pat..I Believe its an Oil on Canvas..Your friend is correct about the Artist and period..

I sent you an email regarding where prints/copys can be obtained..

[Tara]

Papety was in the French academic classicist movement. It's interesting to look at his artistic lineage. He was a student of Cogniet (1794-1880) and a peer of Messonier. Cogniet in turn was a friend of Delacroix and Gericault, and collaborated with Girardet.

Interesting also is your initial thought that it was an illustration. There is a contemporary figurative art movement that is advocating the rigors of academic classicism -- http://www.artrenewal.org

If you're ever in NYC, there is Dahesh museum devoted to the "Orientalists" such as Gerome of that academic period. The Dahesh has also resurrected the traditional artistic anatomy study book. http://www.daheshmuseum.org

[W. Patrick Lang]

Tara

I will go and have a look.

Pat

[Melanchthon]

"Guillaume de Clermont defends the city of Acre, taken by assault by 160,000 Mameluks of the Sultan of Egypt El-Asrad Khalil, from 5 April to 28 May 1291"
By Dominique-Louis Papety

Chateau de Versailles, Salle des Croisades

You can find more on the Salle des Croisades site.

[W. Patrick Lang]

Malancthon,

Thank you, sir. I did not know where the actual canvas might be. Pat

[James Bogle]

Dear Colonel,

Thank you for your most interesting site.

I'm glad you like Papety's portrait of William of Clermont defending the walls of Acre as the Mamluks storm in.

It depicts real history, despite being painted some 700 years after the event.

This Clermont is a Knight Hospitaller of St John (white cross on a red background) of which august Order I am fortunate to count myself a member (we run hospitals these days!).

His relative, Matthew of Clermont, was Grand Marshal of that other great Order, that of the Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon (the Knights Templar - red cross on a white background like the cross of St George) and when the so-called Accursed Tower fell before the Mamluk artillery and engineers, he personally counter-attacked with a band of Knights and Sergeants of the Order re-capturing the tower for a few hours before he and his men were all killed.

This painting depicts a similar scene with his Hospitaller relative, William.

The French (actually Franks) were brave men in those days!

James Bogle
(A British Colonel)

[Mosaic]

i could ever know pat ever sense.....