Jean-Baptiste DEBRET. 1768-1848. Painter, student of David.
Important study of the young Debret, student of David, during his stay in Rome in 1784-1785.
Study of the head of Maxentius' horse after The Battle of Milvian Bridge by Raphael.
About 1784-1785
Sanguine, signed lower right Debret, inventory number upper right “D6.44”
Dimensions : 57,8 x 42,7 cm
At the origins of Debret's trip to Rome
David's success at the Salon of 1781 with the painting of Bélisaire asking for alms, attracted the attention of the Count of Angiviller, Director of the King's Buildings, who decided to grant the painter, former Prix de Rome, a royal command. The subject not being settled, the artist then meditated on the composition of a painting inspired by the Roman story of Horaces reported by Livy (Roman History) and from which Corneille took a famous tragedy (Horace). For almost three years, David considered several frameworks, and reflected in particular on the episode of old Horace defending his son. He will finally stop on the warlike figure of the three warriors before the fight, imagining a scene which does not appear in ancient literature, the oath of Horace. Inspired by Roman History written by Rollin, the oath takes place in the 7th century BC; in order to stop the bloody clashes between Rome and Alba, each city decides to designate its champions: the first chooses the Horatii, the second the Curiatii. Only one Horace returned, giving victory to Rome. He subsequently tarnished his triumph with the murder of his sister Camille, fiancée of one of the Curiatii. Condemned, he was acquitted by the people for the bravery he had shown in combat. If the story does not lack opportunities for the representation of dramatic power, it is the imagined moment of the oath that David chooses to bring the scene to the paroxysm of pathos. Having developed several studies, David decided to create his masterpiece in Rome, in the Palazzo Costanzi, a trip he was able to afford thanks to the financial support of his father-in-law.
David, who is already at the head of a school, wants to be accompanied by three of his most brilliant students, Jean-Germain Drouais (1763-1788) who has just passed the Prix de Rome competition, Jean-Baptiste Wicar ( 1762-1834) and Jean-Baptiste Debret (1768-1848).
Jean-Baptiste Debret, student of David
Although Debret contributed throughout his life to maintaining a truly golden legend around David, he left us very little biographical information on his own artistic career and in particular on his beginnings with the great painter. Son of a clerk at the Parliament of Paris, he seems to have studied at the Clermont college (future Louis-le-Grand high school) before entering David's workshop. It was most certainly because of his great qualities as a designer, as was Wicar, that he had the great favor of accompanying his master to Rome; there he witnessed the work and progress of the Oath of the Horatii, while following David's teaching and advice to admire the artistic riches of Italy. In 1791, he won the second Prix de Rome with the painting Regulus Returning from Carthage. He escaped conscription in 1792 and entered as a supernumerary at the School of Bridges and Roads in 1793, then as a draftsman at the Central School of Public Works (future polytechnic school), replacing the painter Gérard as instructor. His links with his former master, who became an important figure in the Revolution, were certainly maintained since Debret married in 1794 Elisabeth-Sophie Desmaisons (1775-1848) from a large family of architects, but above all David's cousin. He soon returned to his artistic activities since he exhibited regularly at the Salons in 1799, then from 1804. Under the Empire, Debret was appreciated for his compositions to the glory of Napoleon, and where we note the Davidian influence , notably with his large canvas First distribution of the crosses of the Legion of Honor. Under the Restoration, he participated in an important mission to Brazil where he became the official painter of the Court. Returning to France in 1836, Debret is known for organizing a banquet every year commemorating the memory of David, notably by publishing an unpublished drawing by the great painter.
Raphael 1483-1520. Battle of Constantine,
Circa 1508, Fresco
Rome
The head of Maxentius' horse, according to Raphael of Horatius
A great admirer of ancient friezes and Roman remains, David was no less sensitive to the artistic riches of the great Italian masters whom he discovered during his first stay in Rome as a resident of the Villa Medici. The albums of drawings that he left us give an overview of the considerable work of observation that he demonstrated. He will be particularly struck by the purity of the lines and the aesthetics of the Italian Renaissance which cast doubt on his attachment to the French style. Raphael is among the artists that David most admired and recommended for study by his students. Debret studies here the head of Maxentius' horse, from the immense fresco representing the battle of the Milvian Bridge, painted by Raphael; located in the Great Hall of Constantine in the Vatican, this fresco was commissioned by Pope Leo X in 1517; it illustrates the victory of Christianity over paganism, affirming the primacy of the Roman Church. In the center, Constantine marches triumphantly on a white horse, crushing his enemies under his hooves. The opposing troops stand before him, but bow before his unstoppable advance. On the right, the Milvian Bridge is covered with soldiers; in the river, the boats of Maxentius' army are struck and overturned by the archers, while other soldiers fall into the water because of the pressure of the fight; among these, at the bottom left, Maxentius is on horseback, recognizable by the crown on his head, now inevitably doomed to defeat. Above, three angelic apparitions confirm the divine outcome of the battle. Through the work of drawing, Debret here perfectly followed the advice of his illustrious master, by rendering all the anatomical energy of the horse struggling in the middle of the battle.
Details of Constantine's battle against Maxentius
Louvre Museum, Department of Graphic Arts INV4131
Raphael 1483-1520.
Battle of Constantine,
(detail)
Circa 1508, Fresco
Rome
Provenance probable
- Workshop of Jean-Baptiste Debret, inherited by his brother François Debret (1777-1850), architect then by descent to the Félix Duban family
(1797-1870), architect and collaborator of François.
Bibliography
- Delecluze, Louis David, his school and his time, 1855.
- Jules David, The painter Louis David, memories and unpublished documents, Paris, V. Havard, 1880.
- Philippe Bordes, art. Lost drawings by David, including one for “The Death of Socrates”, lithographed by Debret, in Bulletin de la Société de
the history of French art, year 1979, 1981.
- Pierre Rosenberg and Louis Antoine Prat, Jacques-Louis David, 1748-1825. Catalog raisonné of drawings, Milan, Leonardo Arte, 2002.