View of the Ponte Nomentano-1837-Pierre-Nicolas Brisset

Pierre-Nicolas Brisset (18 August 1810 – 29 March 1890) was a French painter and muralist in the

Academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

style. He is best known for his mythological, historical and religious scenes, but also painted landscapes and portraits.

Biography

He was born in Paris. His father was a manufacturer of printing presses. At the age of eighteen, he was apprenticed in the workshop of Louis-Charles-Auguste Couder and later studied with

François-Édouard Picot François-Édouard Picot (; 10 October 1786 – 15 March 1868) was a French painter during the July Monarchy, painting mythological, religious and historical subjects. Life Born in Paris, Picot studied with François-André Vincent and Jacq ...

.Biographical notes
@ the Galerie la Nouvelles Athènes. During this time, he also studied at the

École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in nor ...

. A trip to Italy in 1835 inspired Brisset to paint a series of works on historical subjects, monuments and ruins, notably the

Ponte Nomentano The Ponte Nomentano (called Pons Lamentanus during the Middle Ages) is a Roman bridge in Rome, Italy, which carried the Via Nomentana over the Aniene (). Having lain outside the city limits for most of its history, the picturesque bridge is note ...

on the

Aniene The Aniene (; ), formerly known as the Teverone, is a river in Lazio, Italy. It originates in the Apennines at Trevi nel Lazio and flows westward past Subiaco, Italy, Subiaco, Vicovaro, and Tivoli, Italy, Tivoli to join the Tiber in northern Rome ...

River. In 1840, he was awarded the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

in painting for his depiction of

Gaius Gracchus Gaius Sempronius Gracchus ( – 121 BC) was a reformist Roman politician and soldier who lived during the 2nd century BC. He is most famous for his tribunate for the years 123 and 122 BC, in which he proposed a wide set of laws, i ...

summoned before the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. From 1841 to 1845, he lived at the

Villa Medici The Villa Medici () is a sixteenth-century Italian Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with 7-hectare Italian garden, contiguous with the more extensive Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in the historic ...

in Rome. While there, he painted ''

Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the Persecution of Christians, persecution of the Christians that the Roman Empire, Rom ...

Showing the Treasures of the Church'', which enjoyed great success when it was displayed at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

and the

Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille The Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille (''Lille Palace of Fine Arts'') is a municipal museum dedicated to fine arts, modern art, and antiquities located in Lille. It is one of the largest art museums in France. It was one of the first museums built i ...

. From 1846 to 1853, Brisset assisted Picot in painting

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es at the Church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, one of the largest construction projects during the reign of King

Louis Philippe Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

. Over the years, he created several murals of his own at the Church of La Sainte-Trinité and in the Chapel of the Virgin at the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde, as well as at the churches of Saint-Augustin and

Saint-Roch Saint-Roch or variants may refer to: Places Canada *Saint-Roch, Quebec City *Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan, Quebec *Saint-Roch-de-Mékinac, Quebec *Saint-Roch-de-Richelieu, Quebec *Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, Quebec *Saint-Roch-Ouest, Quebec *Saint-Roch Riv ...

.Biographical notes (2)
@ the Galerie la Nouvelle Athènes. In 1862, he helped design a 100 Francs banknote for the

Banque de France The Bank of France ( ) is the national central bank for France within the Eurosystem. It was the French central bank between 1800 and 1998, issuing the French franc. It does not translate its name to English, and thus calls itself ''Banque de ...

. It used new technologies, designed to prevent counterfeiting, and was in use until 1923. Six years later, he was named a Knight in the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

.Dossier
@ the Base Léonore. In 1879, Brisset participated in decorating the

Grand Théâtre de Genève Grand Théâtre de Genève is an opera house in Geneva, Switzerland. As with many other opera houses, the Grand Théâtre de Genève is both a venue and an institution. The venue is a majestic building, towering over Place Neuve, officia ...

, but most of his work there was destroyed by fire in 1951. Some of his designs may still be seen at the Hôtel de la Païva and the

Hôtel Matignon The Hôtel Matignon (, ) is the official residence of the Prime Minister of France. It is located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, at 57 Rue de Varenne. The name Matignon is often used as a metonym for the governmental action of the French p ...

. In 1883, he took part in preparations to restore the frescoes at

Fontainbleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondisse ...

. He was also a private art teacher. His best known student was

Henri Gervex Henri Gervex (10 December 1852 – 7 June 1929) was a French painter who studied painting under Alexandre Cabanel, Pierre-Nicolas Brisset, and Eugène Fromentin. Biography Early years He was the son of Joséphine Peltier and Félix Nicolas Gerve ...

. He died in Paris on 29 March 1890.

References

External links

Works by Brisset
@ the Base

Joconde Joconde is the central database created in 1975 and now available online, maintained by the Minister of Culture (France), French Ministry of Culture, for objects in the collections of the main French public and private museums listed as ''Mus� ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brisset, Pierre-Nicolas 1810 births 1890 deaths French muralists Fresco painters French history painters Religious artists Prix de Rome for painting Painters from Paris Knights of the Legion of Honour 19th-century French painters French male painters 19th-century French male artists