Jacques-Laurent Agasse (April 24, 1767 – December 27, 1849) was an

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage ...

and

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

from Switzerland. Born at

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, Agasse studied in the public art school of that city. Before he turned twenty he went to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

to study in veterinary school to make himself fully acquainted with the anatomy of horses and other animals. He seems to have subsequently returned to

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The '' Tübinger Morgenblatt'' (1808, p. 876) says that "Agasse, the celebrated animal

, now in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separa ...

, owed his fortune to an accident. About eight years ago, he being then in

, a rich Englishman ( George Pitt, later Lord Rivers) asked him to paint his favourite dog (

greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgenc ...

) which had died. The Englishman was so pleased with his work that he took the painter to

with him." Nagler says that he was one of the most celebrated animal painters at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. In Johann Georg Meusel's ''Neue Miscellaneen'' (viii. 1052 et seq.), he compares Agasse and Wouwermans, wholly in favour of the former. In that partial article much is said of his extreme devotion to art, of his marvelous knowledge of anatomy, of his special fondness for the English racehorses, and his excellence in depicting them. He appears first in the Academy catalogues in 1801 as the exhibitor of the 'Portrait of a Horse', and continued to exhibit more or less until 1845 (contradicting Nagler's statement that he died "about" 1806). In the catalogues his name is given as J.L. Agasse or Agassé. The number of times Agassé changed his address confirms Redgrave's assertion that "he lived poor and died poor". The writer of the panegyric already quoted says, however, that he did not work for money, but that he was urged forward by the resistless force of natural genius.

Gallery

Image:Landing at Westminster Bridge.jpg, ''Landing at Westminster Bridge'', 1818, oil on canvas, Oskar Reinhart Foundation, Winterthur Image:Agasse Quagga.jpg, ''Male

Quagga The quagga ( or ) (''Equus quagga quagga'') is a subspecies of the plains zebra that was endemic to South Africa until it was hunted to extinction in the late 19th century. It was long thought to be a distinct species, but early geneti ...

'', early 1800s,

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...

Image:Jacques-Laurent Agasse - The Flower Seller.jpg, ''Flower Seller'', 1822, oil on canvas, Oskar Reinhart Collection, Winterthur File:Jacques-Laurent Agasse - The Last Stage on the Portsmouth Road.jpg, ''The Last Stage on the Portsmouth Road'', 1815, oil on canvas, Oskar Reinhart Foundation, Winterthur File:White Horse in Pasture.jpg, ''White Horse in Pasture'', 1806–1807, oil on canvas, Oskar Reinhart Foundation, Winterthur File:Jaques-Laurent Agasse Emma Powles.jpg, Emma Powles File:Jacques-Laurent Agasse - The Wellesley Grey Arabian Led through the Desert - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Wellesley Grey Arabian Led through the Desert'' File:James Jacques Laurent Agasse (attr) Edinburgh and London Royal Mail.jpg, ''Edinburgh and London

Royal Mail , kw, Postya Riel, ga, An Post Ríoga , logo = Royal Mail.svg , logo_size = 250px , type = Public limited company , traded_as = , foundation = , founder = Henry VIII , location = London, England, UK , key_people = * Keith William ...

'' File:Edward Cross by Agasse.jpg, Edward Cross (1774–1854), zoo proprietor.

References

* * Nagler, ''Allgemeines Künstler-Lexicon'', 1872, gives an account inter alia of his engraved works * Füssli, ''Neue Zusätze zu dem allgemeinen Künstler-Lexicon'' * ''Tübinger Morgenblatt'', 1808, p. 876 * Meusel, ''Neue Miscellaneen'', viii. 1052 * Fiorillo, ''Geschichte der Mahlerey'', v. 841, speaks of Agasse and Charles Ansell as the most celebrated English animal painters * Redgrave's ''Dictionary''.

External links

Global Gallery Bio & works

23 works by Jacques-Laurent Agasse at www.Jacques-Laurent-Agasse.org

Jacques-Laurent Agasse Paitings Gallery
(Public Domain Paintings - www.art.onilm.com) {{DEFAULTSORT:Agasse 1767 births 1849 deaths Animal artists Swiss landscape painters 18th-century artists from the Republic of Geneva Swiss male painters 19th-century Swiss painters 19th-century Swiss male artists