Masterpiece of the Week: Portrait of Armand Gérôme, 1848

Jean-Leon Gerome, 1848
The National Gallery, Britain

Jean-Léon Gérôme, a painter and sculptor, who was educated in Paris under Delaroche and Gleyre exhibited his work at the Paris Salon in 1847 and 1848. This bust-length portrait depicts the artist’s brother, Armand, in the uniform of his polytechnic school.

The painting may have been a study for a full-length portrait of the same sitter which the artist exhibited at the Salon in 1848. The whereabouts of the full-length portrait are unknown. However, this painting remains in perfect condition in the collection of Britain’s National Gallery.