Sketch for The Revolt of Cairo
Historical Context
This oil sketch by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson relates to his ambitious painting The Revolt of Cairo, depicting the 1798 Egyptian uprising against Napoleon's occupying forces. Girodet, a pupil of Jacques-Louis David, pushed Neoclassicism toward Romantic intensity with his dramatic lighting and exotic subject matter. Such preparatory sketches reveal the artist's creative process in developing complex multi-figure compositions.
Technical Analysis
The oil and ink sketch on paper shows Girodet's vigorous preliminary technique, with rapid brushstrokes and ink lines establishing the dynamic composition of battling figures. The loose handling contrasts with the high finish of his exhibition paintings, revealing spontaneous energy in the planning stage.
Provenance
The artist’s studio, estate inventory, April 11, 1825, no. 107 [see Bajou and Lemeux-Fraitot 2002]; Girodet Sale, Paris, April 11, 1825, lot 17; sold for 2,850 francs to Jacobs [according to Voignier 2005]. Joseph Basile Ducos; sold Paris, December 18, 1837, lot 18. Sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, March 25, 1987, lot 37; sold to Galerie Charles Ratton-Guy Ladrière, Paris; sold to Richard L. Feigen & Co., New York by 1999 [according to Jean Christophe Baudequin’s email of July 27, 2006, copy in curatorial file]; sold to the Art Institute, 1999.
