Horace Vernet

Horace Vernet was a French painter famous for lively battle scenes and Orientalist subjects. Born in Paris in 1789 into a family of painters, he became one of the most successful and productive artists of his day. He specialized in dramatic military pictures, painting the campaigns of the French army with energy and patriotic flair, and he served official patrons including the French crown.

He also traveled in North Africa, bringing back colorful scenes of Arab life and desert hunts in the popular Orientalist manner. Known for painting quickly and on a grand scale, he had a real flair for action and spectacle. Vernet's spirited battle scenes and exotic subjects made him a leading figure of nineteenth century French painting.