Pierre-Narcisse Guérin

A pupil of Jean-Baptiste Regnault, Guérin won the Grand Prix in 1796, establishing his early career on a solid foundation of classical training.¹

In 1799, 'The Return of Marcus Sextus' excited wild enthusiasm at the Salon, as its theme of a returning exile was seen as an allusion to the turmoil of the French Revolution.¹

During the First Empire, Guérin established a highly melodramatic and pompously dignified style with works like 'Phaedra and Hippolytus', suiting the popular taste of the era.¹

During the Restoration, Guérin's style shifted to a more sensuous and picturesque approach, as seen in 'Aeneas Relating to Dido the Disasters of Troy'.¹

Guérin's 'Descent from the Cross' was a gift from King Louis XVIII in 1821 to the Basilica in Baltimore, reflecting his international prestige.¹

In 1822, Guérin accepted the post of director of the French Academy in Rome, a position he had previously refused in 1816.¹

Guérin received the Legion of Honour in 1803 and was ennobled as a baron in 1828, reaching the pinnacle of honors in the French art world.¹

Guérin died in Rome in 1833 and was buried in the church of La Trinité de Monti, next to the great master Claude Lorrain.¹