file which includes the original illustrations4 ,see #dcjhe-;h4htm or #dcjhe-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/cache_/epu b_/#dcjhe_/pg#dcjhe-;images4html7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/files_/#dc jhe_/dcjhe-;h4zip7 ,images of the original pages are available through ,internet ,archive4 ,see https3_/_/archive4org_/details_/meissoni er#jj;barbuoft ,masterpieces in ,colour ,edited by--,m4 ,henry ,roujon ,,meissonier 7#ahae-ahia7 99 99 99 99 99 ,,in ,,the ,,same ,,series ,,reynolds ,,rubens ,,velasquez ,,holbein ,,greuze ,,burne-,,jones ,,turner ,,le ,,brun ,,botticelli ,,chardin ,,romney ,,millet ,,rembrandt ,,raeburn ,,bellini ,,sargent ,,fra ,,angelico ,,constable ,,rossetti ,,memling ,,raphael ,,fragonard ,,leighton ,d,,rer ,,holman ,,hunt ,,lawrence ,,titian ,,hogarth ,,millais ,,watteau ,,luini ,,murillo ,,franz ,,hals ,,watts ,,carlo ,,dolci ,,ingres ,,gainsborough ,,corot ,,tintoretto ,,delacroix ,,van ,,dyck ,,fra ,,lippo ,,lippi ,,da ,,vinci ,,puvis ,,de ,,chavannes ,,whistler ,,meissonier ,,montagna ,,in ,,preparation ,,gerome ,,boucher ,,veronese ,,perugino ,,van ,,eyck 99 99 99 99 99 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,i4--,,the ,,flute-,,player 7,in the ,muse du ,louvre7 ,meissonier's erudition was such that it enabled him to combine the skill of the artist with the utmost fidelity in details of costume4 ,in the ,flute-player1 the artist predominates4 ,this figure1 with foot slightly raised in the act of beating time1 is admirably life-like4 ,,meissonier ,translated from the ,french by ,frederic ,taber ,cooper ,illustrated with ,eight ,reproductions in ,colour ,illustration3 ,,in ,,sempiternum4 ,frederick ,a4 ,stokes ,company ,new ,york--,publishers ,copyright1 #aiab1 by ,frederick ,a4 ,stokes ,company ,illustration3 ,may #aiab ,the ,plimpton ,press ,w ,d ,o ,norwood ,mass ,,usa ,,contents ,page ,introduction #aa ,early ,years #af ,first ,success #cj ,etchings #cb ,paintings #cf ,military ,paintings #fa ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,plate ,page ,i4 ,the ,flute-,player ,frontispiece ,in the ,muse du ,louvre ,,ii4 ,les ,ordonnances #ad ,tommy ,thierry ,collection1 ,muse du ,louvre ,,iii4 ,the ,confidence #bd ,chauchard ,bequest1 ,muse du ,louvre ,,iv4 #ahad #cd ,chauchard ,bequest1 ,muse du ,louvre ,v4 ,awaiting #dj ,in the ,muse du ,louvre ,,vi4 ,the ,players at ,bowls #ej ,in the ,casa-,riera ,collection ,,vii4 ,amateurs of ,paintings #fj ,in the ,muse du ,louvre ,,viii4 ,napoleon ,,iii at ,solfrino #gj ,tommy ,thierry ,bequest1 ,muse du ,louvre ,,introduction ,one day--it was neither in war time nor during manoeuvres--on a ,july morning1 with the sun shining radiantly1 a squadron of cuirassiers passed at full gallop across a magnificent field of ripening grain1 in the neighbourhood of ,poissy1 although on every side there were wide reaches of fallow land and pasture4 ,when this hurricane of horses and men had1 like a blazing meteor1 devastated and laid low the splendid gold of the crops1 two men remained behind1 surveying the scene with visible satisfaction and undisguised interest4 ,one of the two was tall and the other short4 ,the tall man was ,colonel ,dupressoir1 who had directed the manoeuvre4 ,the other1 an elderly man1 short of leg1 and ruddy of complexion1 with a long beard1 white and silken1 and a singularly expressive eye1 was the painter1 ,meissonier4 ,the latter had achieved his object4 ,thanks to long insistence and the payment of indemnities1 he had brought about the passage of cavalry across that field1 in order that he might make studies from nature1 needed for a painting then in hand1 #ahjg1 of how standing grain looks after it has been crushed and trampled by the onrush of a charge4 ,the whole artist1 whose work we are about to study side by side with his life1 is summed up in this anecdote4 ,it reveals one of the most typical sides of his temperament1 and1 consequently1 of his talent3 a constant and scrupulous endeavour1 maintained even at the price of sacrifices that would seem excessive to the layman1 to interpret nature precisely as she is4 ,it was this noble ambition--and we shall find other examples of it in the course of an artistic career in which it was the dominant note--that made him say to his pupils1 with a conviction that commanded respect3 ,if ,i should sketch a horse from memory ,i should feel that ,i had been guilty of an insult to nature6 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,ii4--,,les ,,ordonnances 7,tommy ,thierry ,collection1 ,muse du ,louvre7 ,every one of ,meissonier's pictures is a document which may be profitably consulted if one wished to decide a detail of costume or armament4 ,his consciousness in this regard has become proverbial4 ,and it is because he conceived his ideal after this fashion that this unerring painter of so many military types and scenes never attempted to picture skirmishes or battles4 ,it was not that he did not want to1 or had not cherished the dream of doing so4 ,but he had never seen a battle2 and a battle is a thing that cannot be reconstructed1 like a marching column or a detail of camp life4 ,accordingly he painted none1 because he decided1 with a certain loftiness1 that he did not really know what a battle was6 ,let us keep this attitude of mind before us1 and even underscore it in our memory4 ,for this alone1 in a vague way1 would suffice to characterize the artist with whom we are concerned2 and his whole long1 rich1 and fruitful career may be summed up as a successful and varied application of one great principle3 devout and inflexible respect for reality4 ,,early ,,years ,when ,jean-,louis-,ernest ,meissonier was born at ,lyons in #ahae1 under the fading light of an ,imperial sunset1 these were scarcely the ideas that predominated in the national school of ,french art4 ,pictorial art1 to confine ourselves to that1 had1 both before and during the ,first ,empire1 achieved at most a lumbering and trammelled flight2 and the influence of antiquity1 so perceptible in the language as well as in the manners and fashions at the close of the ,eighteenth ,century1 served only to confine the inspiration of artists more strictly within the bounds of classic tradition4 ,roman characters1 ,roman costumes1 ,roman virtues1--such was the ideal to which each debutant who did not revolt openly must make surrender6 ,to be sure1 the commanding figure of ,david gave a magnificent prestige to this rather cold and dishearteningly classic programme4 ,but1 like all great artists1 ,david was exceptional2 and he stands today as the only one who1 in an epoch sadly poor in genius1 produced a host of living masterpieces1 to swell the lists of a school so artificial that it would now be forgotten1 save as an echo of his name4 ,it is true that1 by way of ransom1 he spent much time in painting vast canvases that today hold but a small place in his life work4 ,on the threshold of the ,nineteenth ,century1 in #agii1 ,eugne ,delacroix was born4 ,it was he who brought a new spirit into ,french painting and1 single-handed1 wrought a great revolution4 ,such is not destined to be the rle of ,meissonier6 ,his was neither so tragic a struggle1 nor so immense a triumph4 ,unlike ,delacroix1 he did not restore the ,beautiful nor hand down new forms to glory4 ,he succeeded none the less in inscribing his name in modest yet precise characters--that will long remain legible--upon the marble of the temple4 ,how did the artist get his start8 ,according to the monotonous and mournful formula1 after a hard struggle4 ,the lives of all beloved and admired artists have this in common with fairy tales3 they always begin badly and end happily 7unluckily1 they sometimes end a long time after the death of the principal hero674 ,the father of ,meissonier was a dealer in colonial products and chemicals1 and kept a drug and provision shop in the ,rue des ,ecouffes4 ,beneath the low ceiling of this shop and between walls lined with drawers1 bearing strange labels1 the childhood of ,jean-,louis-,ernest was passed4 ,his mother was a fragile woman4 ,we are told further that she was sensitive to music and that she had learned to paint on porcelain and to make miniatures4 ,are we at liberty to attribute to the tender and brief contact of that mother1 who died so young1 with the life of her child1 the origin of his artistic vocation8 ,it is pleasant at least to fancy so and to try to believe it1 even though we are told that parents bequeath to their children1 not a vocation--a mysterious gift1 of unknown origin--but rather a certain number of necessary aptitudes and qualities1 which will enable them to profit by the gift1 if perchance it falls to them from ,heaven4 ,yet the fact remains that in the depths of a cupboard1 in the house on the ,rue des ,ecouffes1 there lay the paint-box which ,mme4 ,meissonier once used1 while taking miniature lessons from the authoritative hands of ,mme4 ,jacottot4 ,as joyously as other children would have appropriated a jar of jam1 the boy possessed himself of the magic box1 and on that selfsame day entered1 with stumbling fingers1 upon the laborious mission which was destined to cease only with his life4 ,he was not a very good student4 ,a report has been preserved of his standing in a school in the ,rue des ,francs-,bourgeois1 at ,paris1 where his later childhood was passed4 ,in this document the proper authorities alleged that the pupil1 ,ernest ,meissonier1 showed too marked a tendency to draw sketches in his copy-books1 instead of paying attention to his teachers4 ,the said tendency did not fail to awaken anxiety in ,m4 ,meissonier1 the father4 ,it should be remembered that1 for some years previous1 the question of painting in ,france had been taking on a rather bitter tone4 ,the romantic school was entering boldly into the lists1 and among its champions were some who distinguished themselves less by their works than by their long beards and the public challenge they flung at their traditional enemy1 the phalanx of ,david's pupils4 ,and among the latter1 it must be owned1 the majority made no answer beyond a disdainful silence and some mediocre paintings1--with just one single exception3 the admirable1 undoubted1 impeccable exception of the great ,jean-,dominique ,ingres4 ,the press1 the art clubs1 not to mention the salons1 were all more or less divided between the romantics and the classicists1 the innovators and the traditionalists1 and fanned the flames of a quarrel which1 in view of the worth of the two leaders--one of whom spelled genius and the other perfection--was destined to appear without sanction to the eyes of posterity4 ,but1 as may be imagined1 these tumultuous polemics were not calculated to reassure a thoroughly pacific bourgeois1 already much alarmed to find that he had begotten an artist4 ,and just at this crisis another damnatory report exploded1 this time from a master of the eighth form in a school on the ,rue de ,jouy3 ,ernest has a decided talent for drawing4 ,the mere sight of a picture often takes our attention from our serious duties4 ,this diagnosis1 so categoric underneath its familiar form and somewhat faulty grammar1 sounded a serious cry of alarm4 ,it was promptly heeded by the father1 and young ,ernest was forthwith entered as a druggist's apprentice1 in a house on the ,rue des ,lombards4 ,yet it was not long afterwards1 thanks to a dogged persistence1 that the lad had overcome paternal opposition and was allowed to do head studies in charcoal1 at the studio of a certain ,julien ,petier1 whose slender artistic fame rested solely upon the fact that1 once upon a time1 he won the grand prix de ,rome4 ,meissonier very shortly quitted this somewhat dull discipline1 and he stayed scarcely longer in the studio of ,lon ,cogniet1 which at that time was quite celebrated4 ,yet during the four months that he remained under the guidance of the worthy author of ,the ,four ,seasons1 it must be admitted that he laboured greatly to the profit of his art4 ,m4 ,phillippe ,burty1 his contemporary and his first biographer1 explains to us that1 while at ,cogniet's1 young ,meissonier did not work like the other students1 from casts or nude models3 ,he passed his days in an enclosure adjoining the studio1 where the master was engaged upon his ceiling painting for the ,louvre1 the ,expedition into ,egypt1 and hired by the day soldiers in republican uniform1 dragoons1 artillerymen and their horses4 ,in the midst of this resurrection of a past that was still quite recent1 in the very presence of the stage setting1 the reproduction of the ,napoleonic ,epic1 he suddenly conceived of it as the greatest of all subjects that might tempt his accurate artist fingers4 ,it must have seemed to him1 later on1 that he himself had witnessed its close4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iii4--,,the ,,confidence 7,chauchard ,bequest1 ,muse du ,louvre7 ,this painting1 given to the ,louvre in #aijh by ,m4 ,chauchard1 is one of the most beautiful in that famous collection1 owing to the incomparable naturalness of the attitudes1 as well as to the finished art of its composition4 ,but while waiting to achieve his dream1 he had to achieve a living4 ,this was not easy4 ,his father spared him an allowance of fifteen francs a month1 not counting the privilege of dining at home once a week1 and from time to time allowed himself to be cajoled into buying a small aquarelle4 ,be one's tastes never so modest1 it is difficult under such conditions to make both ends meet1 and there was many a day of sacrifice and privation for the future painter of canvases destined later to sell at a hundred thousand francs per square decimeter4 ,he shared his poverty light-heartedly with a chosen circle of friends whose fame in after years has made their names familiar3 among others ,daumier1 the caricaturist1 and ,daubigny1 the great landscape painter1 with whom1 it is told1 ,meissonier collaborated in manufacturing for the export trade canvases that were generously paid for at five francs a meter6 ,he was unable to enter the classes of ,paul ,delaroche1 the monthly charge for admission to the studio from which ,the ,princes in the ,tower had issued reaching the exorbitant sum of twenty francs6 ,he had to content himself with frequenting the ,louvre4 ,unlooked-for windfall3 in company with his friend ,trimolet1 a needy artist who succumbed to poverty before his real talent had had time to ripen1 he obtained an opportunity to decorate fans4 ,then1 some religious figures and emblems of saints for certain publishers in the ,rue ,saint-,jacques4 ,this meant the assurance of an honest living2 they could go to a restaurant twice a day1 every day in the week1 and proudly pass the paint-shop knowing their account was paid4 ,when only sixteen years of age1 ,meissonier exhibited for the first time4 ,as a matter of fact his name appears in the ,salon catalogue of #ahcd1 accredited with ,a ,visit to the ,burgomaster4 ,in this picture one may find1 ,i will not say in miniature 7since all his paintings were destined to be contained in narrow limits7 but in a youthful way1 an indication of those qualities of relief and of realism which so energetically stamped his productions later on4 ,is there any need of saying that the public failed to distinguish a work which did not sufficiently distinguish itself8 ,the first connoisseurs to pay attention to the newcomer were editors1 the severe and imposing editors4 ,not quite at the start1 naturally2 and the first instalment of illustrations that he offered to a magazine then famous1 the name of which is now forgotten--four little sepia drawings--was curtly rejected4 ,but he refused to be discouraged1 and not long afterwards deliberately made his way to the celebrated art-publisher1 ,curmer4 ,this bold venture went badly at the start4 ,the publisher1 rendered distrustful by so youthful and importunate a face1 assured the young man and the friend who had introduced him1 that for the time being he had nothing for him4 ,but by a providential hazard1 the short conversation which followed as a matter of civility before leave-taking touched upon the subject of life-masks4 ,at that time life-masks happened to be quite the rage3 people had their faces moulded in plaster just as nowadays they sit for a photograph2 and young ,meissonier related1 not without vanity1 that on the preceding ,sunday he had taken the mask of the ,johannot brothers1 and he added that he knew those two princes of engraving quite intimately4 ,famous acquaintances are always useful2 the proof of this is that ,m4 ,curmer accepted an invitation to go the following ,sunday to ,meissonier's studio1 to sit for his life-mask1--and1 once there1 it was impossible for him not to order an aquarelle4 ,the door of this publishing house1 however1 was as yet only half-way open to the artist2 for when his friend ,marville1 an etcher in soft-ground1 mediocre but prolific1 talked of having him collaborate on the ,curmer edition of ,paul and ,virginia1 the publisher1 a prey once more to his original distrust1 entrusted him to begin with1--with just one of the special illustrations1--to re-engrave6 ,meissonier acquitted himself brilliantly of this half-task1 with the result that he was entrusted with several other illustrations for the celebrated edition of ,paul and ,virginia1 of which no bibliophile can ever speak without enthusiasm4 ,but1 on the other hand1 he had an entire series to make for an edition1 no less sumptuous1 of ,the ,indian ,cabin1 also a work of ,bernardin de ,saint-,pierre4 ,,first ,,success ,and then1 in the words of one of his contemporaries3 ,the first rays of fame that caressed him streamed from those admirable and diminutive drawings for ,the ,indian ,cabin4 ,he had done much sketching in the ,jardin des ,plantes1 in the conservatories1 where the flora of the tropics expanded opulently2 also1 before the windows of those shops of bric-a-brac1 abounding in exotic objects1 which in those bygone days stretched in a row facing the entrance to the ,louvre1 on the ,place du ,carrousel4 ,all that he had to do was to rummage among those sketches in order to give his composition an inimitable stamp of truth1 such as was seldom attempted by illustrators of his nation4 ,it was a simple thing to convert into an ornamental letter a storm-broken lily1 a group of ,indian weapons1 some ,javanese musical instruments4 ,if the text called for the 'emblems of mental toil1' the young artist heaped his table with volumes bound in parchment or full calf1 acquired for a few sous from the stands along the quays1 and he had only to copy1 with all the navet of the ,primitives1 the gleam of the edges1 the bands on the backs1 the slips of paper alternating with the silken bookmarks4 ,and the critic proceeds to cite an example of that prodigious finish which ,thophile ,gautier subsequently recognized as the most popular characteristic1 so to speak1 of his noble talent3 ,in two of these miniature vignettes1 measuring less than four centimetres1 two engravings can be made out1 hanging upon a library wall2 one of them interprets quite scrupulously ,the ,pariah thinking of the ,english ,doctor1 and the other ,the ,english ,doctor thinking of the ,pariah4 ,between these engravings can be made out1 hanging on a nail1 and possessing all the characteristics described in the text1 the pipe of ,english leather1 the mouthpiece of which was of yellow amber1 and that of the ,pariah1 the stem of which was of bamboo and the bowl of terra-cotta4 ,the success of this de luxe edition was rapid and important4 ,the first step along the path of glory was taken1--and on that path the first step costs more than anywhere else4 ,henceforth1 no more need of soliciting work2 far otherwise4 ,the artist still continued to do illustrating4 ,mention must be made of the drawings that he did for ,frenchmen ,painted by ,themselves1 and later--here ends this chapter of his artistic career--the plates that served as illustrations for ,the ,fallen ,angel1 by ,lamartine 7edition in two volumes1 already unobtainable twenty years ago71 and the ,contes ,rmois1 by ,m4 de ,chevign2 this last series bears date #aheh4 ,,etchings ,let us add1 for the sake of being complete1 without wasting undue space upon side-issues1 that ,meissonier also experimented in etching4 ,authoritative critics assert that these attempts1 in which the master modestly refused to see anything more than essays1 will eventually become the most precious treasures that bear his signature4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iv4--#ahad 7,chauchard ,bequest1 ,muse du ,louvre7 ,this picture1 so masterly and so dramatic in composition1 is assuredly one of the most widely known in existence4 ,the sombre visage of the ,emperor1 the severity of the landscape1 the prevailing tone of sadness1 admirably rendered1 explain the wide favour enjoyed by this celebrated work1 further popularized in engravings4 ,besides1 with one exception1--,the ,smoker1 popularized by a large printing1--they are quite limited in number1 and already eagerly sought after by collectors4 ,and with all the more reason1 because1 at the fairly distant period of which we speak1 the perfected processes for preserving the burined lines on the copper plate in all their original fineness and precision had not yet been invented2 accordingly1 the later proofs in his series of etchings betray a wearing of the copper which could not fail to lower their value4 ,at the time of ,meissonier's death1 a proof of ,the ,preparations for the ,duel1 in which the signature was legible1 in the lower left corner1 brought upward of one thousand francs4 ,the most beautiful of all ,meissonier's etchings are1 without question3 ,the ,violin1 which he engraved with a burin at once powerful1 delicate and1 as some critics phrase it1 vibrant1 to adorn the visiting card of the celebrated lute player1 ,vuillaume2 ,the ,signor ,annibale1 representing1 in braggadocio pose and costume1 the celebrated actor1 ,rgnier1 of the ,comdie-,franaise1 in a rle that is by no means the least celebrated in ,augier's ,adventuress2 and ,the ,troopers1 seven figures whose personalities stand out rather curiously and exhibit a picturesque diversity4 ,the ,reporting ,sergeant was a miniature sketch made1 in order to try the ground1 on the margin of the plate on which ,the ,smoker was etched4 ,it is a finished and charming little work1 full of expression1 of life and actuality1 condensed into a microscopic square of paper4 ,but what of his paintings8 ,we left them for a time1 in order to clear up certain points regarding ,meissonier's incursion into the realm of the engraver1--an incursion from which he brought back1 incidentally1 both fame and fortune4 ,,paintings ,he profited from it above all in being able to continue to paint4 ,for the fact remains that1 from the time of his youngest efforts1 such as ,the ,patrol ,removing a ,body from an ,outpost1 his earliest known work1 one of the collection that his father bought1 to swell somewhat that famous monthly income of fifteen francs1 he never abandoned his brushes4 ,we left him unsuccessfully exhibiting1 at the ,salon of #ahcd1 a small painting1 dealing with a ,flemish subject4 ,let us add1 as a final word1 that this genre picture was accompanied by an aquarelle1 entered in the catalogue of that date as3 ,soldier to ,whom in the ,citizen's ,house1 a ,young ,girl serves a ,mug of ,beer4 ,this aquarelle was purchased for one hundred francs by the ,society of ,friends of ,art4 ,the following year he did not exhibit4 ,this1 unfortunately1 was not because he had nothing to offer2 but the pictures that he sent1 consisting of ,the ,chess ,players and ,the ,little ,messenger1 had not been accepted by the jury4 ,there was an excess of severity in this refusal2 and in spite of the fact that the candidate for admission was still under the age of twenty1 the two pictures offered possessed certain genuine qualities that rendered the sentence of the jury cruelly unjust4 ,such was the opinion of the artist1 who in #ahcf offered the same pictures over again2 it was also the opinion of the jury of that year1 for it accepted them4 ,two years later1 ,meissonier exhibited a ,monk ,consoling a ,dying ,man4 ,this canvas attracted the attention of the ,duke of ,orleans1 who bought it for five hundred francs4 7,fourteen years later1 at the sale consequent upon the ,duke's death1 this same ,monk was resold for #d1jjj francs47 ,in #ahci1 ,meissonier attracted the attention of the critics4 ,for example1 you may find in a paper called ,l',artiste1 in a critique of the ,salon3 ,and ,i almost forgot an adorable little ,english ,doctor1 by ,m4 ,meissonier1 a charming miniature in oil1 extraordinarily fine and subtle4 ,these lines were signed by ,jules ,janin1 who at that time maintained over ,french criticism a sort of sacerdotal sovereignty1 comparable only to that which1 so far as the national school of painting was concerned1 was afterwards held by the artist whom ,janin then heralded with an almost exaggerated cordiality4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,v4--,,awaiting 7,in the ,muse du ,louvre7 ,this painting1 which is frequently confused with another by the same artist1 entitled ,the ,man at the ,window1 is chiefly noteworthy for its finished detail and prodigious ability of execution4 ,meissonier herein reveals his profound understanding of the principles of chiaroscuro4 ,but the small size of ,meissonier's pictures6 ,that is the one thing that1 for the world at large1 contemporaries and posterity alike1 is the keynote of his talent3 ,meissonier has always painted on such a small scale6 ,that is what one would begin by saying1 if one wanted to explain him1 to reveal him to some one who did not know him4 ,and what endless things have been said in addition1 by way of praise1 criticism1 and discussion1 regarding the scantiness of the canvases or panels to which the artist applied himself6 ,underlying this whole matter of smallness there is1 without any paradox1 a rather big question4 ,beyond doubt1 material dimensions in works of art are not taken into consideration1 so long as these dimensions remain within moderation4 ,it is equally certain that1 short of introducing revolutionary modifications into our aesthetic creed1 we would refuse to accept as a work of art anything that exceeded too far these limits of moderation1 or fell too far below them4 ,is it not the same in life and in society1 where exaggerated giants and undersized dwarfs find that they are outcasts1 each in his own way1 outside the common law1 and regarded simply as curiosities8 ,granted3 but what is the limit8 ,does ,meissonier surpass it1 and are his pictures too small8 ,very well1 let us answer categorically3 no6 ,no1 they are not too small1 considering1 first of all1 their subject2 secondly1 their mode of presentment1 their composition1 their treatment as to decoration2 and1 lastly1 the vividness and intensity of their details4 ,one may even go a step further and assert that they have the dimensions that they ought to have1 the dimensions that are best calculated to enhance the artist's magnificent gifts1 and to make one forget the qualities in which1 perhaps1 he was lacking4 ,the scenes which he kindles into life1 to say nothing of single characters that he portrays1 are like stories told in an intimate sort of way2 they force one to draw closer4 ,they have not sufficient harmony and amplitude to attract attention from a distance2 but1 seen from near by1 they give their message with exquisite precision4 ,they offer a hundred subtle details for us to seek out and approve2 a painstaking grouping for us to admire2 and1 best of all1 expressive physiognomies for us to read4 ,it seems as though the dimensions had been calculated on exactly the right scale to awaken all these impressions at once and blend them as completely as possible4 ,and all this would have been too scattered in an ampler setting4 ,it is because of this perfect proportion that it has been so justly said that ,meissonier's pictures never look small excepting before you have really looked at them4 ,but let us make no mistake in this regard4 ,painting on a small scale would not of itself suffice to attain this maximum of intensity4 ,it needed1 on the contrary1 an enormous amount of talent to avoid an effect of fussiness and preciosity4 ,still other reasons have been given for the great value of this artist's works in spite of their smallness1 or rather because of their smallness4 ,m4 ,gustave ,larroumet has written on this very point a brilliant and ingenious special plea1 of which the following is the principal passage3 ,there is a certain class of subjects in which amplitude is an error of judgment4 ,if you wish to paint the coronation of ,napoleon1 the bridge of ,tailebourg1 or the battle of the ,cimbri1 you have the right to measure your canvas in proportion to the space which such scenes occupy in reality2 on the other hand you might conceive of your subject in such fashion that it could be contained completely within a square metre4 ,but why give to an artistic reproduction more relative importance than the originals have in reality8 ,supposing you wish to show me a passer-by1 on foot or on horseback4 ,how do they interest me in real life8 ,simply by the rapid impression that they leave upon my eye and mind4 ,i have seen them at a distance1 reduced to a few centimetres by perspective4 ,i am satisfied if you show them to me in the same proportion4 ,the argument is specious4 ,perhaps it is more ingenious than it is well founded1 and lays itself open to discussion4 ,but it will not do to linger too long over abstract polemics1 when we are in the presence of a reality1 a type of work1 every least portion of which makes its appeal and1 by the very fact that it is so full of interest and of life1 practically answers the subtle problem that it has raised4 ,in #ahdj more pictures were sent to the ,salon3 a ,reader1 a ,saint ,paul1 an ,isaiah4 ,was the painter beginning to change his manner8 ,those last two pictures might give reason to fear so4 ,they were life size1 yet that did not prevent them from being dull and commonplace in execution4 ,doubtless1 irritated by his critics1 ,meissonier had wished to prove that he also1 if he wanted to1 could paint according to the schools4 ,even the artists who are surest of themselves sometimes come to these hasty and impatient determinations4 ,fortunately for him1 he made a bad showing1 and a painter who had great influence over him1 ,jules ,chenavard1 succeeded in recalling him from the false path into which he was trying to force his talent4 ,on the other hand1 the praises bestowed upon his genre painting1 ,the ,reader1 which was genuine ,meissonier1 could not fail to encourage him to remain true to himself4 ,the ,revue des ,deux ,mondes1 in its critical review of the ,salon1 bestowed upon this picture an enthusiastic tribute1 couched in a style that may seem to us today somewhat old-fashioned3 ,a ,flemish canvas1 if there ever was one4 ,picture to yourself a good old soul1 retired from business1 his skin as wrinkled as the parchment of his books1 ill clad1 ill fed1 and nevertheless the happiest man in the world3 he is a bibliophile1 and he is in the midst of old books6 ,you could hardly believe how vividly this noble passion is expressed in that little picture4 ,but where in the world did ,m4 ,meissonier come across all those delightful little rarities in books8 ,you can almost smell the adorable odour of old bindings6 ,the young artist--he was at that time only twenty-five--was awarded a third-class medal4 ,the following year he obtained a second-class medal1 and his painting1 ,the ,game of ,chess1 won him a brilliant triumph3 it was purchased by ,m4 ,paul ,prier4 ,it was a material triumph not to be despised3 the picture brought two thousand francs1 which at that time was considerable4 ,the moral triumph was even bigger1 because ,paul ,prier was an experienced collector1 who acquired only such works as were worthy to take their place in an assemblage where the biggest names of the period were represented by masterpieces4 ,henceforth1 success after success followed regularly4 ,each picture that he sent to the ,salon won increasing distinction3 ,a ,smoker 7they are a goodly number1 the smokers and the readers that came from ,meissonier's brush672 ,a ,young ,man ,playing the ',cello2 ,the ,painter in his ,studio2 ,the ,guard-,house2 ,the ,young ,man ,looking at ,sketches2 ,the ,game of ,piquet2 ,the ,park at ,saint-,cloud4 ,this last picture was done in collaboration2 ,meissonier painted only the figures1 the landscape was the work of ,franais4 ,this mounting success1 which so quickly turned into glory1 was legitimate4 ,the artist had by this time all his resources admirably at command1 and was fully imbued with his ideal4 ,he had learned to give to every face that profundity1 to every scene that intensity of action1 that constitutes his individual bigness4 ,the arrangement of the milieu1 the scrupulous devotion to realism that we noted in the opening lines of this study1 the prodigious anxiety to give to every one of his personages such play of physiognomy1 such expression1 glance1 and gesture as would best reveal their character and help us to know them better1--all these things combine and harmonize to produce an effect of remarkable power4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vi4--,,the ,,players ,,at ,,bowls 7,in the ,casa-,riera ,collection7 ,this curious composition represents some ,spanish soldiers playing bowls outside the city wall4 ,the painting1 which is hardly larger than the accompanying reproduction1 is a little masterpiece of actuality1 and the people in it move in a thoroughly faithful landscape1 lit by the warm sunlight of ,spain4 ,those among ,meissonier's contemporaries who had assured taste and artistic insight were impressed by the number of qualities revealed in such limited space4 ,let us listen to ,thophile ,gautier3 ,meissonier1 he wrote in an article published in the ,gazette des ,beaux-,arts1 composes his pictures with a science unknown to the ,flemish masters to whom he is compared4 ,take1 for example1 a ,smoker6 ,the manner in which he is placed in the centre of the picture1 one elbow resting on the table1 one leg crossed over the other1 one hand hanging idly by his side1 his body sunk within his gaping waistcoat1 his head bowed forward in revery1 or jovially thrown backward1--all this forms a composition which1 while not so apparent to the eye as some dramatic scene1 nevertheless works its effect upon the spectator4 ,the accessories cleverly play their part to throw more light upon the character of the central figure4 ,here is a ,smoker1 for instance1 who is a worthy man1 no doubt of it2 clad in an ample coat of ancient cut1 and of a modest gray1 with a well brushed cocked hat upon his head2 one foot swings free1 encased in a good1 stout shoe1 with silver buckle2 and1 with the tranquillity of an honest conscience1 he draws in a deep breath of tobacco smoke1 which he allows to escape again in little clouds1 wishing1 thrifty man that he is1 to make the pleasure last4 ,close at hand1 upon a table with spiral legs1 he has placed side by side a flagon and a pewter-lidded tankard of beer4 ,an intimate satisfaction radiates from his face1 which is furrowed by deep lines1 a face expressive of foresight1 orderly habits1 and rigid probity4 ,one could trust him with one's cash-box and account books4 ,here is another ,smoker1 clad in red2 he also holds a pipe and performs apparently the same action2 but his disordered garments1 violently rumpled1 buttoned askew1 his three-cornered hat jammed down upon his eyebrows1 his cuffs and frilled shirt crumpled by nervous fingers1 his whole attitude expressive of feverish anxiety1 his twitching lip straining around the clay stem of his pipe1 his hand thrust angrily into an empty pocket1--all these details proclaim the adventurer or the gambler in hard luck4 ,he is evidently saying to himself3 ',where the deuce could ,i borrow a louis or even a crown8' ,even the background1 if we consult it1 gives further enlightenment4 ,in this case we no longer have neat plastering of modest gray and substantial brown woodwork1 but battered and dirty walls stained with smoke and grease1 reeking of tap-room foulness and unclean lodgings4 ,and that shows how far one smoker may fall short of resembling another6 ,it is precisely this difference between one human being and another1 in other words1 this quality of individuality1 that constitutes the creative gift of the real artist and proves that the honour of this title is really deserved by a painter whose pictures are animated groups1 among whom a spectator may wander1 studying them with growing interest1 and then afterwards call to mind the various types1 episodes1 scenes1 dramas that he has actually seen4 ,one can never grow tired of quoting ,gautier apropos of an artist whose brush always had something in common with his pen4 ,this masterly art critic has described for us1 sketched in words1 so to speak1 still another picture3 ,a man standing before a window through which the daylight streams flecking his face with silver2 in his hand he holds a book which absorbs his entire attention1--this is not a complicated theme1 but it grips us like life itself4 ,we want to know the contents of that volume1 it seems as though we could almost conjecture it4 ,plenty of other artists have painted marquises and marchionesses1 sleek abbs and shameless beauties of the ,eighteenth ,century1 thanks to the aid of powder and patches and paint1 rosettes1 paniers1 bespangled coats1 silken stockings1 red-heeled shoes1 fans1 screens1 cameos1 crackled porcelain1 bonbonnires and other futilities4 ,meissonier rediscovered the decent folk of that period1 which was not made up exclusively of mighty lords and fallen women1 and of which we get1 through ,chardin1 a glimpse on its honest1 settled bourgeois side4 ,meissonier introduces us into modest interiors1 with woodwork of sober gray1 furniture without gilding1 the homes of worthy folk1 simple and substantial1 who read and smoke and work1 look over prints and etchings1 or copy them1 or chat sociably1 with elbows on table1 separated only by a bottle brought out from behind the faggots4 ,and who can ever forget1 in ,the ,confidence 7the picture which passed from the gallery of ,m4 ,chauchard to that of the ,louvre71 how tense and attentive the face of the listener is1 even in repose1 while the relaxation of the body is revealed by his posture1 as he leans against the wall with an elbow on the table1--and how nave the face of his friend--younger and better looking--as he reads the letter3 nave1 excited1 even somewhat simple1 with a nose slightly exceeding the average length and a forehead just a trifle too low4 ,in the ,game of ,cards1 a soldier and a civilian are seated opposite each other1 in the midst of a contest4 ,the soldier has a dogged air and he is losing4 ,apparently1 he is not a strong adversary1 for the man of questionable age who faces him1 his small1 narrow1 foxy head surmounted by a three-cornered hat1 his lean body lost in the depths of a huge greatcoat1 his thin ankle showing beneath the white stocking1 belongs to the race of weaklings who live at the expense of the strong4 ,in ,the ,etcher1 just as in ,the ,man at the ,window--two of his most celebrated pictures 7the former brought #bgb1jjj francs1 even during ,meissonier's lifetime7--the interest of the principal--and only--figure is heightened and singularly beautified by a delicate effect of light1 forming an aureole1 in the very centre of the picture1 respectively around the face of the worker and of the dreamer4 ,note1 in ,a ,song1 the moist eye of the musketeer playing the guitar1 and in ,pascuale the half stupid1 half poetic air of the central figure engaged in the same occupation2 note also in ,the ,alms-giving the frowning brow of the horseman as he searches in his pocket2 and in ,the ,visit to the ,chateau--an ostentation of coaches and gentry--and in ,the ,inn--three cavaliers who have halted for the moment and are grouped around the serving-maid1 as they drink--the reconstruction of an entire epoch with its pomps and its idylls1 that justifies us in calling these pictures veritable stage settings taken from life4 ,one might spend a long time in analyzing the various shades in the gamut of expressions on the faces of the principal and secondary figures in the ,game of ,piquet1 who1 scattered all nine of them around the two sides of the tavern table1 follow either amusedly or critically or with feverish interest the changing fortunes of the game4 ,and in the ,portrait of the ,sergeant1 what a magnificent collection of different degrees of attention3 that of the portrait painter as he studies his model standing in front of him on the pavement1 in his finest uniform and his finest pose2 that of the model intent only upon doing nothing to disturb his ultra-martial bearing1 his gaze menacing1 staring1 fixed2 that of the spectators1 some of them drawing near1 fascinated1 another who casts an amused glance at the picture as he passes by1 with some sarcastic remark on his lips2 another who no doubt has just been looking1 and for the moment1 with pipe between his teeth1 is thinking of something else as he sits on a bench with his back to the wall and his legs extended in front of him4 ,the ,quarrel1 with all the feverish violence that drives the two bravos at each other's throats1 has perhaps more amplitude and less realism than any of the previously mentioned works4 ,it is ,meissonier's one romantic painting1 and he professed a great admiration for it1 ranking it as one of his four best canvases4 ,it is recorded that the master said one day to a friend3 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vii4--,,amateurs ,,of ,,paintings 7,in the ,muse du ,louvre7 ,this picture1 which must not be confused with the ,amateurs of ,paintings1 in the ,muse ,cluny at ,chantilly1 is nevertheless a replica of the latter4 ,they are differentiated by a few insignificant details1 but they resemble each other in the harmony of the grouping and the truth of the attitudes4 ,i have seen my ,quarrel at ,secretan's4 ,i looked at it as though ,i had never seen the picture before4 ,well1 do you know1 it is really a fine thing6 ,,military ,,paintings ,mention should be made1 before passing on to the military paintings1 of just a few other genre paintings3 ,the ,reading at ,diderot's1 ,the ,amateurs1 ,the ,flute ,players4 ,but it is the military pictures that loom up largely amongst the artist's prolific output3--#ahjg1 the portrayal of the ,imperial ,apotheosis1 the army passing by at a gallop1 eagerly acclaiming the ,emperor1 as he answers with a salute2 #ahad1 the decline1 the retreat from ,russia2 #ahae1 the cuirassiers of ,waterloo before the charge4 ,this picture1 which formed part of the ,duc d',aumale's collection1 was purchased for #bej1jjj francs1 but afterwards twice resold3 the first time for #bge1jjj francs1 the second for #djj1jjj francs4 ,yet it may be said that the artist fully earned what some of these military paintings brought him4 ,although he mounted successively all the rungs of official honours 7he was made ,knight of the ,legion of ,honour at the age of thirty1 ,officer at forty-one1 ,commander at fifty-two1 received the grand golden medal at the ,exposition ,universelle of #ahee1 and became a member of the ,academy of ,fine ,arts in #ahfa71 ,meissonier nevertheless always led a singularly active and industrious life4 ,not only did he paint a prodigious number of pictures 7in #ahhf1 four hundred were already catalogued71 but he took part in the ,italian campaign of #ahei and in the ,franco-,prussian war6 ,in #ahei he was1 at his own request1 attached to the ,imperial ,staff of the ,french army1 dreaming1 as he had himself acknowledged1 of becoming the ,van der ,meulen of the campaign4 ,at all events1 he got out of it one of his best canvases3 ,napoleon ,,iii4 at ,solfrino1 which never left the ,muse du ,luxembourg until it was transferred to the ,muse du ,louvre4 ,he himself has related1 with a delightful sense of humour1 the machiavelian intrigues to which he resorted in order to secure the ,emperor's consent to pose4 ,for the idea of painting a figure1 and especially the central figure1 without a sitting1 was a heresy that he could not even contemplate4 ,let us hear his own account3 ,would ,napoleon ,,iii4 pose for ,solfrino8 ,that was what weighed on my mind most of all4 ,you know my love for exactitude4 ,i had revisited ,solfrino1 in order to get the landscape and the battle-field direct from nature4 ,you can understand how essential it was for me to have the ,emperor give me a sitting1 if only for five minutes4 ,i managed things1 ,i think1 rather cleverly4 ,i began by blocking in my picture roughly2 then ,i invited an officer whom ,i happened to know1 to come and give me his advice on certain military details4 ,this officer1 as ,i was aware1 had served at ,solfrino4 ,i led him on to tell the part he had played in the combat1 and when the iron was hot ,i proposed that he should let me include him among the figures in my picture4 ,he consented eagerly4 ,when the portrait was successfully finished1 he talked of it to other officers1 who came to see it and1 in their turn1 offered to serve me as models4 ,one of them was acquainted with ,marchal ,magnan1 and it was he who brought me ,fleury1 who in his turn brought me ,leboeuf4 ,the latter undertook to show my painting to the ,emperor1 and to that end secured me an invitation to go to ,fontainebleau4 ,napoleon ,,iii4 received me cordially1 and after spending a long time in studying my picture1 in which only one figure was now lacking1 he inquired who1 according to my idea1 that missing figure should be4 ',why1 you1 ,sire4' ',then you are going to paint my portrait8' he remarked4 ',how will you do that8' ',from memory1 and with the help of published documents4' ',but all that is not equal to a single sitting1' replied the ,emperor4 ',do you not agree with me1 ,m4 ,meissonier8' ',undoubtedly1 ,sire1 but--' ',very well1 nothing is simpler1 let us both mount our horses1 and go for a short ride1 and while we chat1 you can study me at your leisure4' ,overjoyed at the opportunity afforded1 ,i rapidly formed a most mephistophelian plot4 ,as it happened1 it was precisely at ,fontainebleau that my old friend ,jadin had his studio4 ,i manoeuvred to guide our course in the direction of that studio1 and when we were at his very door1 ,i boldly proposed to the ,emperor that we should pay a visit to the good ,jadin4 ,he laughingly consented1 and thereupon the two of us descended upon ,jadin who1 unprepared for either of us1 was in his painter's blouse1 smoking his pipe4 ,the ,emperor1 greatly amused by this adventure1 refused to let ,jadin disturb himself4 ,he rolled a cigarette and1 taking his seat astride of a chair1 entered into conversation4 ,meanwhile ,i had seized the first pencil that came to hand1 and fell to sketching4 ,the unforeseen sitting lasted for a good half-hour4 ,it served me not only for the completion of ,solfrino1 but for another picture besides1 a little panel4 ,a fine example of artistic perseverance and diplomacy1--greatly aided1 it must be admitted1 by the complaisance of the interested ,emperor4 ,eleven years later--the year of terror--the artist1 in spite of his fifty-six years1 undertook active service4 ,yielding1 however1 to the entreaties of his friends1 he left the army near ,sedan1 the night before the battle of ,borny1 and set forth alone1 on horseback4 ,his journey back to ,paris was a veritable ,odyssey4 ,along the road to ,verdun he was constantly taken for a spy and halted4 ,at ,etain1 he was taken prisoner1 and owed his release solely to the universal renown of his name4 ,it took him three days to reach ,poissy1 where he had his country home2 and once there1 he organized a national guard4 ,but at the news of the investment of ,paris1 ,meissonier hastened to make his way into the besieged capital4 ,the morning after the ,fourth of ,september1 he besought the ,minister of ,war1 ,lon ,gambetta1 for an appointment as prefect in one of the departments that were either invaded or menaced4 ,his patriotism was only partly satisfied2 he was appointed ,colonel in the staff of the ,national ,guard4 ,the populace of ,paris1 says a witness1 when they saw that little man with florid face and long gray beard1 and legs encased in tight leathern breeches1 passing back and forth along the boulevards1 often cheered him1 mistaking him for the major-general of artillery4 ,the painter planned to commemorate the defence of ,paris in a picture of colossal size4 ,the project never got beyond the stage of an outline sketch1 of deep and tragic interest4 ,have we cause to regret this8 ,meissonier was an allegorical painter1 and nowhere more than in his military pictures--both scenes and types--do his powerful and delicate qualities of penetrating observation reveal themselves4 ,every one of his soldiers1--trooper1 musketeer1 ,french guard1 ,grenadier of the guard1--in full uniform or in fatigue1 or even in the disarray of the barrack-room1 has his own personal physiognomy1 and manner and temperament2 they one and all live1 and in them lives the conscientious and brilliant artist who laboured so faithfully to create them and succeeded so well4 ,is it not because of this expressive relief both of figures and gestures that people were able to compare ,meissonier to ,marmot1 and to say that ,meissonier was worthy to paint the stories of ,marmot1 and ,marmot worthy to furnish stories to ,meissonier8 ,it would be only just1 before leaving him1 to defend the artist--who after enjoying a vogue that was perhaps a trifle too enthusiastic1 has fallen1 quite unjustly into slight disfavour--from two criticisms that have frequently been passed upon him4 ,too much stress has been laid on his lack of the gift of colour and the gift of grace4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,viii4--,,napoleon ,,iii4 ,,at ,,solf,,rino 7,tommy ,thierry ,bequest1 ,muse du ,louvre7 ,under any other hand than ,meissonier's1 the group constituting the ,imperial ,staff would have been banale in the extreme1 but thanks to an ability that has no parallel outside of the great ,flemish painters1 the artist has succeeded in making these miniature figures veritable portraits of the shining military lights of that period4 ,to be sure1 he is not a colourist in the grand1 resplendent sense in which the word is associated with the names of ,titian or ,paolo ,veronese2 but it has been said with a good deal of reason1 that he had a colour sense suited to his range of vision4 ,in view of the realistic and palpable clearness with which he saw things1 he must needs adapt a soberly exact scheme of colour2 for in any one of his works the dazzling and magnificent orgies indulged in by lyric poets of the palette would have been as out of place as a character from ,shakespeare would be in the midst of a prosaic scene in our modern literal-minded drama4 ,the colourists use their tints to paint dreams1 transposing into a resplendent and intense register the tranquil harmony of the actual colours2 they produce something different from what the rest of the world sees2 something more1 if you choose1 but at any rate something different4 ,the impeccable truthfulness of a ,meissonier stubbornly adheres to that modest harmony which the others leave behind them in a soaring flight that sometimes verges on folly4 ,one might prefer to have had him totally different2 but1 granting the serious forethought in his choice of subject and conception of structure1 his colouring could not have been different from what it was4 ,as to his lack of charm and grace1 that is a reproach which for the most part he took little trouble to avoid1 for he hardly ever painted women2 but it was a reproach which he in no way deserved when he did transfer them to his canvases4 ,we need to offer no further proof of this than his adorable studies of ,mme4 ,sabatier and the portrait that he made of her4 ,the strange attraction of that beautiful face1 so full of intelligence and fascination1 the delicate and matchless suppleness of posture1 all blend together in a compelling yet mysterious radiance with which only a great artist could illuminate his paper or his canvas4 ,accordingly one should guard against any judgment too absolute1 too definitely peremptory regarding a talent so rich in resources2 but undeniably ,meissonier greatly preferred to paint musketeers or grenadiers1 to say nothing of horses4 ,horses1 by the way1 were one of ,meissonier's weaknesses4 ,he owned some beautiful ones1 and used them not only as models but also for riding4 ,he spoke on many occasions of the incomparable pleasure that he found in directing those admirable machines1 which he defined as the stupidest of all intelligent animals4 ,but that in no way detracted from their beauty of form4 ,what a pleasure it is to make their mechanism work6 he confided to one of his distinguished friends4 ,just think that the slightest movement of the rider1 the slightest motion of hand or leg1 the slightest displacement of the body have their immediate effect upon the horse's movements1 and that a true horseman plays upon his mount as a musician plays upon his instrument4 ,for the painter a horse is a whole gamut of lights and of colours4 ,its eye1 now calm and now excited1 the quivers of its coat and undulations that run through it1 the variety of its lines and the infinite beauty of their combinations afford material for a whole lifetime of study4 ,and here again we meet1 as in everything that he said and thought1 that same love of detail1 that meticulous admiration for reality and that cult of patient labour which is the secret of all that he achieved4 ,furthermore1 there was no moment in his remarkable career--which was destined to be crowned by an apotheosis when the artists of the entire world united in choosing him as president of the ,exposition ,universelle des ,beaux-,arts in #ahhi--there was no moment in his career when he sacrificed the sacred principle of exactitude and of documentation which were the foundation of his splendid honesty4 ,of this artistic virtue there are abundant examples4 ,we have already cited one in the opening pages2 we will cite another by way of conclusion3 one of his friends called upon ,meissonier at ,poissy3 ,the concierge told me1 this friend relates1 ',meissonier is in the studio opening on the court4' ,i found my way into that huge studio cumbered with sketches of every sort1 with studies of horses modelled in wax and standing on pedestals4 ,i waited a while1 and then in trying to discover where a beam of vivid light found its way in through some crack in a door1 ,i discovered1 in the little court adjoining the chlet1 ,meissonier out in the blazing sunlight astride of a bench that did duty for a horse2 heavy boots1 breeches of white cashmere1 uniform of grenadier of the ,imperial guard1 decorations on his breast1 and1 last of all1 the 'gray redingote4' ,he was seated on a saddle lent to him by the son of ,prince ,jerome4 ,in his hand he held a tablet on which was fastened a sheet of white paper1 and he was carefully sketching himself1 studying his reflection in a mirror4 ,it was the middle of summer and the heat was atrocious4 ',my model can't pose as ,napoleon1' he told me1 'but ,i have exactly ,napoleon's legs4' ,is it necessary to say after this that no painter ever informed himself with such religious zeal in regard to costumes and accessories8 ,of the heroic ,imperial ,epoch which he worshipped above all others1 he sought and gathered together all sorts of relics3 not content with the possession of a white horse closely resembling that of ,napoleon ,i41 he used to point with pride1 both in his collection and in his paintings1 to a complete set of trappings that had once served the ,emperor2 and one of the greatest rages that he ever felt in his life was produced by the respectful but firm refusal of the ,beaux-,arts to lend him the ,gray ,redingote4 ,his working library1 as he called it1 contained incomparable riches4 ,it included breeches1 hats1 helmets1 boots1 shoes1 pumps1 buckles1 walking-sticks1 and jewelry4 ,he would have been able1 by rummaging there1 to clothe from top to toe whole generations of bourgeoise1 nobles1 and labourers1 from any epoch of ,french history1 to say nothing of the various regiments and the staff officers6 ,he quite literally bought out the stock of second-hand dealers in the ,temple market1 which up to the middle of the nineteeth century was the sales place of old clothes once worn by our great-grandparents and their ancestors4 ,and we know1--his fine passion for the truth was always cropping out1--that he actually suffered because he could not clothe his models with genuine old linen4 ,at the end of some very conscientious researches that he had pursued in the ,imperial ,library1 he considered that he had made a discovery that was useful to his art1 when he read in the ,encyclopedia that in the eighteenth century linen was cut on the bias1 and not straight across1 as it is today4 ,we must not smile6 ,for herein lay the secret of greater suppleness in the folds4 ,and when1 detail by detail1 his documentation had been completed1 what endless sketches1 experiments1 rough drafts had to follow6 ,for a single painting he acknowledged that he had to make whole cubic metres of preliminary studies4 ,in spite of all this1 when the picture was finished and more than finished1 it did not always please him4 ,the same friend whose personal testimony we have already cited1 informs us that one day1 in his presence1 the artist violently slashed up a painting which everybody else had pronounced perfect1 while at that very moment a purchaser was waiting for it in the vestibule3 ,i don't know how to paint6 cried the artist in despair1 ,i shall never learn my craft4 ,there we have an impulse and a sacrifice which few painters would be capable of making in sincerity1 and which define better than the longest dissertations could do1 the soul of ,meissonier1 his talent and his glory4