Karl Girardet (1813-1871) - The Massacre Of The Mamluks - Signed And Dated

Karl GIRARDET (Locle, May 13, 1813 - Paris, 24 April 1871)
The massacre of the Mamelukes ordered in Cairo in 1811 by Muhammad Ali, after Horace Vernet
Oil on walnut panel. Signed and dated lower left "Girardet K - 1850." Gilt wood frame and stucco.
26.5 x 30.5 cm without frame
43 x 51.5 cm with frame

History painter, portraits, genre scenes, landscapes, draftsman, illustrator. Oldest did Charles Samuel, he came to Paris at the age of nine. He entered the studio of Léon Cogniet at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Karl Girardet was a favorite of Louis-Philippe, who sent him to Egypt with his brother Edward and appointed official painter of the ceremonies of the court painters. He also visited Italy and Spain. After the fall of the monarchy, Karl Girardet left Paris and came to settle in Brienz near his brother Edward. He exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1836, winning a medal in 1842, he gave much of his time to landscape painting, after the fall of the monarchy. He made many sketches during his travels, which were published in the picturesque Store in the World Tour and in various magazines. Museums: Algiers, Amsterdam, Basel, Bern, Bourges, Chantilly, Lille, Nantes, Neuchâtel, Rouen, Strasbourg, Versailles

Particular comment on the work:
From Table of Horace Vernet exhibited at the Salon of 1819 and now preserved Museum of Fine Arts of Amiens.
Muhammad Ali was born in Kavala, East Macedonia. When Napoleon arrived in Egypt, he was part of the contingent that Sultan, combined with English, hurry on hand to fight the intruder. After the surrender of the French army and the British left, the scholars, religious leaders from Cairo, reject the Viceroy sent by the sultan. On the night of May 12 to 13, 1805, they allegiance to Muhammad Ali, who was able to seduce them. It remains to solve the problem of the Mamluks, the old masters of Egypt. March 1, 1811, Muhammad Ali invited their leaders to a festive dinner in the citadel of Cairo, and after parties, murdered. Throughout his life, Muhammad Ali will therefore attempt to wrest the Sultan viceroyalty as hereditary for himself and his descendants, or complete independence of Egypt.