Antoine-Alphonse Montfort (3 April 1802 – 28 September 1884) was a French painter, best known for his Orientalist landscapes and genre scenes.

Biography

He was born in Paris. In 1816, he became a pupil of Horace Vernet. After 1820, he was employed in the workshop of

Antoine-Jean Gros Antoine-Jean Gros (; 16 March 177125 June 1835) was a French painter of historical subjects. He was given title of Baron Gros in 1824. Gros studied under Jacques-Louis David in Paris and began an independent artistic career during the French R ...

. He also received advice from the painter Théodore Géricault. From 1827 to 1828, under the auspices of Vernet, he became the ship's painter on the frigate ''La Victorieuse'' and sailed throughout the Mediterranean, visiting

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

, Malta, the Greek islands, Istanbul, the coast of Syria and Egypt. Later, from 1837 to 1838, he participated in an expedition that visited Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. While there, he dressed as a native, travelled with caravans, lived in a tent and studied Arabic.Biographical notes
@ the Louvre website He also kept a detailed travel diary that is now in the collection of the

Bibliothèque Nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

. The sketches he made provided a source for paintings that lasted the rest of his life. His first exhibition at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

came in 1835 and he would continue to exhibit there on a regular basis until 1881. For many years, he was a teacher at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. The Louvre is in possession of 917 of his original drawings; donated by one of his nephews. All of his sketches and paintings are characterized by precise ethnographic detail and devoid of any romanticized or idealized representations. Montfort died in Paris in 1884.

Selected paintings

File:Montfort-Broumana.jpg, View of

Brummana Brummana ( ar, برمانا) is a town in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate in Lebanon. It is located east of Beirut, overlooking the capital and the Mediterranean. Brummana has long been a summer destination for visitors and loca ...

File:Montfort-Caravan.jpg, Resting Caravan File:Montfort-Greek.jpg, Greek Soldier File:Montfort-Depart pour la chasse au faucon sur la montagne du Liban - painted 1867.jpg, Departure on the Falcon Hunt

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montfort, Antoine 1802 births 1884 deaths 19th-century French painters French landscape painters French genre painters French orientalists

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links