Battles Of Brigands - Attributed To Jacques Bertaux (c.1745-1818)

Jacques BERTAUX
(attributed to)
(c.1745 Arcis-sur-Aube - 1818)
Battles of brigands
Oil on canvas
H. 38 cm; L. 45.5 cm

Certainly a student of Jean Pillement, Jacques Bertaux owes his fame, or at least the fact that his name has remained in history, to his large compositions produced around 1770-1800: The Storming of the Tuileries of 1792 , the Imperial Procession going to Notre-Dame for its coronation in 1804 or even The Hunting of Duke Louis-Philippe of Orléans in 1773. These great works are mostly in French museums. Apart from these sumptuous compositions, Bertaux created numerous battle scenes or pastorals, very close in style and coloring to Pillement.

Our two paintings, presented on their original canvases, are scenes of fights (more than battles) between bandits. Musketades, disparate outfits and hazardous charges are the order of the day in these two vibrant scenes, contrasted by the pastel tones surrounding the subject. Recalling the art of Pillement in these elements would be a repetition…

Attribution proposed by the Turquin cabinet.