,,masterpieces   ,,in ,,colour          
,,edited ,,by--   ,m4 ,,henry ,,roujon  
,,henner                                
7#ahbi-aije7                            
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,in ,,the ,,same ,,series              
,,reynolds           ,,le ,,brun        
,,velasquez          ,,chardin          
,,greuze             ,,millet           
,,turner             ,,raeburn          
,,botticelli         ,,sargent          
,,romney             ,,constable        
,,rembrandt          ,,memling          
,,bellini            ,,fragonard        
,,fra ,,angelico       ,d,,rer          
,,rossetti           ,,lawrence         
,,raphael            ,,hogarth          
,,leighton           ,,watteau          
,,holman ,,hunt        ,,murillo        
,,titian             ,,watts            
,,millais            ,,ingres           
,,luini              ,,corot            
,,franz ,,hals         ,,delacroix      
,,carlo ,,dolci        ,,fra ,,lippo    

,,lippi                   ,,gainsborough
       ,,puvis ,,de ,,chavannes         
,,tintoretto         ,,meissonier       
,,van ,,dyck           ,g,r,,me         
,,da ,,vinci           ,,veronese       
,,whistler           ,,van ,,eyck       
,,rubens             ,,fromentin        
,,boucher            ,,mantegna         
,,holbein            ,,perugino         
,,burne-,,jones        ,,rosa ,,bonheur 
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3 ,,plate ,i4--,,the       
,,little ,,girl ,,with ,,the ,,blue     
,,ribbon    7,petit ,palais des         
,beaux-,arts7    ,this little portrait1 
charmingly delicate and delightful in   
colouring1  belongs to the first period 
of the painter's life4 ,none the less1  
it is remarkable in execution and in    
truth4                                  
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,henner                                
,,by ,,fr4 ,,crastre                    

,,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 #aiac1 ,,by                
,,frederick ,a4 ,,stokes ,,company      
,printed in the ,united ,states of      
,america                                
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,contents                              
,page                        ,the ,first
 ,years           #ah                   
,the ,arrival at ,paris      #bi        
,the ,years in ,rome         #cg        
,the ,works of ,henner       #dd        
,the ,portrait ,painter      #gb        
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,list ,,of ,,illustrations             

,plate            ,i4 ,the ,little ,girl
 with the ,blue ,ribbon   ,frontispiece 
,petit ,palais des ,beaux-,arts         
,,ii4 ,the ,reclining ,nymph            
#ad               ,luxembourg ,museum   
,,iii4 ,portrait of ,mlle4 ,l           
#bd               ,luxembourg ,museum   
,,iv4 ,the ,little ,writer              
#cd               ,petit ,palais des    
,beaux-,arts              ,v4 ,bara     
#dj               ,petit ,palais des    
,beaux-,arts             ,,vi4 ,the     
,comtesse ,diana                        
#ej               ,luxembourg ,museum   
,,vii4 ,the ,naiad                      
#fj               ,luxembourg ,museum   
,,viii4 ,the ,magdalen with the         
,crucifix                   #gj         
,petit ,palais des ,beaux-,arts         
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3 ,line drawing of ,henner 
,there is no one who has not chanced1   
sooner or later1 to pass the  window of 
some picture dealer and find himself    

irresistibly attracted  by a canvas     
forming a patch of fluid gold1 a        
luminous vapour bathing  the white body 
of a woman1 white with that rich1 warm  
whiteness that  reveals1 through the    
transparency of the skin1 the inner     
flame1 the  bounding blood1 the pulsing 
life4 ,such a picture was a ,henner4    
,and when  you have come into contact1  
if only for once1 with a work by this   
incomparable artist1 the effect is      
lasting2 you recognize any and all  of  
his works at the first glance1 just as  
you recognize a friend in the  street1  
even before he is near enough for you to
 distinguish his  features4 ,so personal
 is ,henner's manner1 and so original   
his product1  that it is impossible to  
confound him with any other painter1    
just as  no other painter has ever been 
able or even attempted to imitate a type
  of which he alone possessed the magic 
secret4 ,although the tomb has  barely  
closed above him1 ,henner has already   
entered upon his heritage  of glory4 ,or

 should we not rather say that he had   
entered upon it  during life1 and that  
the unanimity of admiration which always
 followed  him was in the nature of a   
definitive judgment1 which posterity has
  nothing left to do but ratify8 ,among 
the most illustrious of our modern      
painters1 ,henner is the one who        
possesses to the highest degree the art 
of imprisoning light1 of playing with   
it1 of making it vibrate1 of  using it  
to illumine the most profound woodland  
shades1 or to set it  palpitating over  
feminine flesh4 ,we must not seek within
 our own times  for any other with whom 
to compare him2 for this we must look   
backward1  far backward1 to the period  
of that glorious ,venetian school of    
which  he seems to be a direct product4 
,from ,giorgione he derives his warm and
  living flesh tints2 it would seem that
 ,titian had bequeathed to him his      
profound and powerful mastery of colour2
 and if ,correggio could see the        
,nymphs and ,bathing ,women of ,henner1 

he would certainly recognize in  them   
that same velvety delicacy and vaporous 
lightness with which he  himself was    
wont to envelop his female forms4       
,illustration3 ,,plate                  
,,ii4--,,reclining ,,nymph              
7,luxembourg ,museum7    ,in accordance 
with ,henner's favourite formula1 the   
dazzling whiteness  of the nymph's body 
acquires an astonishing relief through  
contrast with the sombre verdure1 yet   
even the very shadows are  penetrated by
 a warm and vibrant light4    ,for      
,henner was1 above all else1 a painter  
of women4 ,it was in the  female form   
that he sought and found perfect        
,beauty1 complete1  indisputable1 and   
undisputed1 a victorious1 compelling    
,beauty that  silences all criticism1   
all indecision by its multifold         
splendour1 the  infinite variety of its 
complex forms1 a ,beauty embodied in    
contrast1  harmony1 charm1 freshness1   
and grace1 but with no element of the   
merely  pretty or fantastic4 ,henner's  

women are without affectation1 or       
morbidness1 or coquetry1 or pretence4   
,they are tall1 strong1 supple1         
stately1 superb1 like the antique type  
itself4 ,their beauty is without  a     
flaw4 ,their flesh is steeped in light1 
their hair a tissue of living  radiance4
 ,such is the clue to their irresistible
 seductiveness4    ,it has been said of 
,henner that he was the painter of      
blondes4 ,he was  more especially the   
painter of the red-blonde type1 for the 
reason that  light1 falling upon the    
ruddy glint of their tresses1 awakens   
flame-like reflections and emphasizes   
the satiny grain of their skin4  ,this  
tawny1 golden sheen is the most alive1  
the most vibrant1 yet the  most         
unobtrusive of all1 and consequently the
 most harmonious and the  most          
beautiful4 ,but ,henner also painted    
brunettes with an incomparable  mastery2
 to be convinced of this1 one needs only
 to refer to any of the  innumerable    
portraits of dark-haired women that have

 come from his  brush1 notably those of 
,mme4 ,noetzlin1 of ,mme4               
,duchesne-,fournes1 of the  ,comtesse de
 ,jacquemont1 and that of ,mme4         
,karakehia which produced such  a marked
 sensation in the ,salon of #ahgf4      
,while adhering to his own strongly     
personal manner1 ,henner nevertheless   
experimented in the most diverse types  
of painting1 as we shall see in  the    
course of the present study1 and he was 
excellent in all of them1  because he   
brought to them all those masterly      
qualities which make the  greatness of a
 painter3 impeccable line-work1 a       
powerful command of  colour1 and a      
perfect knowledge of his art acquired   
through the  constant pursuit of beauty 
and of truth4                           
,,the ,,first ,,years                   
,jean-,jacques ,henner was born1 on the 
#aeth of ,march1 #ahbi1 in the  village 
of ,bernwiller1 not far from ,belfort1  
on the confines of ,alsace4    ,this    
origin explains the strongly personal   

character of his talent4  ,offspring as 
he was of a land that once was          
,german1--and that1 alas1  has once     
again become so1 after having been      
impregnated for several  centuries with 
the refinement and the good taste of    
,france1--,henner  unites in himself the
 dominant qualities of both races3 from 
,germany he  derives his laborious      
energy1 his tenacity1 his spirit of     
research1 his  poetic dreaminess2 to the
 ,french imprint he owes the delicacy1  
the good  taste1 the grace1 the         
subtlety1 the careful weighing of       
effects1 that  distinguish all his work4
    ,jean-,jacques ,henner was the      
youngest child of a numerous family4    
,his  parents were modest tillers of the
 soil1 who nevertheless had won the     
general esteem of the neighbourhood4 ,of
 little education1 but honest  and      
industrious1 ,henner's father was       
rewarded for his integrity and          
blameless life by being appointed to the
 office of village tax  collector4 ,with

 as little learning as her husband1 his 
mother possessed  a dreamy spirit and a 
very keen intelligence4 ,it was she who 
first  discerned in the thoughtful and  
rather backward boy the germs of his    
future talent2 it was also she who      
encouraged and sustained him with  her  
wise affection when the first promise of
 his future talent was  revealed4       
,his vocation manifested itself at an   
early age4 ,little ,jean-,jacques  could
 barely read when he had already begun  
to adorn the walls with  charcoal       
figures that fairly stood on their feet1
 and proved that the  child possessed a 
precocious power of observation4 ,in    
some of these  sketches it was easy to  
recognize certain frequent visitors to  
the  house1 friends and neighbours2 and 
the good-hearted villagers used to  come
 and admire these attempts4 ,quite      
surprised at these proclivities1  his   
father1 instead of interfering with the 
boy's natural bent1 did his  best to    
encourage it4 ,being unable to provide  

him with a  drawing-master1--and for    
that matter the child was still too     
young1--he  supplied him with models1 in
 the shape of the familiar ,epinal      
coloured  prints which little           
,jean-,jacques tried to reproduce to the
 best of his  ability4 ,it certainly was
 not through the aid of these nave and  
rudimentary essays in colour work that  
,henner learned the art of  drawing1 but
 they at least served to strengthen his 
desire to learn1  and gave him facility 
in handling his pencil4    ,the father  
of little ,jean-,jacques served him as  
best he could2 it was  he who laid the  
corner-stone of his son's future glory4 
,in that humble  household1 where each  
member had his appointed task1 from the 
father  down to the frailest child1     
,jean-,jacques was the only one who took
 no  part in the labour of the fields2  
he was exempted in order to continue    
his education and develop his taste for 
drawing4    ,even the neighbours1       
astonished at his precocity1 aided him  

as best  they could4 ,one brought paper1
 another an old picture1 another some   
prints found in an out-of-the-way corner
 of the house1 still another a  supply  
of paints4 ,thus equipped1 the child    
worked with unflagging zeal1  undertook 
to learn the use of colours1 and in     
order to repay his  benefactors1 he made
 portraits of them1 which are still     
preserved in  those ,alsatian households
 and which already reveal1 in more than 
one of  those likenesses that he always 
caught so well1 the first germs of      
those qualities of a great portrait     
painter1 such as he was one day         
destined to become4    ,you will be a   
great artist1 his father used to say1 as
 he kissed him2  for the good man       
foresaw1 almost by divination1 the      
glorious destiny  that awaited his son4 
,and addressing his other sons1 all of  
them older  than little ,jean-,jacques1 
and all of them destined to pass their  
days  in the hard labour of tilling the 
soil1 he told them3    ,when ,i am no   

longer here1 ,i commend your brother to 
you4 ,aid him and  sustain him4 ,help   
him to achieve his career4 ,you will be 
repaid for it2  this ,i promise you1 in 
the name of the good ,god4    ,the      
brothers carried out piously and to the 
letter these commands of  their father2 
while ,henner1 for his part1 promised   
himself to fulfil  his share of the     
bargain4 ,he never forgot what he owed  
to his older  brothers2 and he paid them
 back a hundredfold for all the benefits
 that  he had received4                 
,illustration3 ,,plate                  
,,iii4--,,portrait ,,of ,,mlle4 ,l4     
7,luxembourg ,museum7    ,this is one of
 the most curious portraits painted by  
the artist inasmuch  as it attains a    
maximum of perfection in spite of a     
combination  of the most unfavourable   
possible means4 ,notwithstanding  the   
sombre garments that barely stand out   
against the dull blue  background1 the  
face reveals an extraordinary intensity 
of life4    ,at the age of seven1 young 

,henner was required to go to church    
every  day for the purpose of learning  
his catechism4 ,in the chapel where the 
good cur of ,bernwiller expounded the   
doctrine1 there happened to be a        
picture representing ,st4 ,sebastian4   
,this picture attracted the  attention  
of the child irresistibly and was the   
cause of many moments  of inattention   
which brought upon him the paternal     
rebukes of the  priest4 ,it was wasted  
severity4 ,little ,jean-,jacques had    
eyes for  nothing else than the saint1  
whose widely gaping shirt revealed the  
muscular throat and hairy chest2 and he 
continued to stare at their  robust     
anatomy which so strongly resembled that
 of the peasants whom he  saw all about 
him in the village4    ,by a singular   
coincidence1 this painting in by-gone   
days once reposed  for quite a long time
 in the home of his grandfather1 where  
,henner  himself was born4 ,an architect
 named ,klber1 and destined to become   
later a famous general1 was occupied in 

building the parish house in  one of the
 neighbouring villages to ,bernwiller4  
,coming by chance to  ,bernwiller1 he   
saw the painting of ,st4 ,sebastian1    
which he found had  been greatly        
impaired by age4 ,he took steps to      
obtain its restoration  and1 while      
waiting for the appointed artist to     
arrive from ,strassburg1  he had it     
transferred to the house of ,henner's   
grandfather4 ,it was  there that the    
artist from ,strassburg repaired the    
painting1 and it  would almost seem as  
though there were some sort of obscure  
connection  between this fact and the   
powerful impression which the picture   
produced upon the mind of little        
,jean-,jacques1 and as though it were a 
sort of secret bond between the glory of
 the great warrior and that of  the     
great painter4    ,a little later1 young
 ,henner was sent to attend school at   
,altkirch4 ,not  however in the capacity
 of a boarding pupil1 for the family did
 not  have the means4 ,every day he had 

to cover on foot the two hours'         
journey1 in order to reach school1 and  
the same to return4 ,but the  child     
possessed the sacred fire3 the          
kilometres seemed to him no more  than a
 pleasant walk4    ,as good luck would  
have it1 the school at ,altkirch        
possessed a  drawing-master1 named      
,goutzwiller1 an artist of real talent4 
,he quickly  divined the possibilities  
of his new pupil1 encouraged him1       
grounded  him1 and became a true friend 
and1 in a certain sense1 a second father
  to him4    ,after three years of study
 at this school1 ,henner left ,altkirch1
 in  accordance with ,m4 ,goutzwiller's 
advice1 in order to go to ,strassburg1  
where he entered the studio of the      
artist1 ,gurin4 ,here it was that he    
exchanged the pencil for the brush4     
,from his first attempts he  manifested 
a pronounced taste for oppositions of   
shadow and light1 the  latter acquiring 
greater vigour by force of contrast4    
,henner's first  attempt at ,strassburg 

was a copy of ,heim's ,shepherd1 the    
original of  which was burned in #ahgj1 
at the time of the fire resulting from  
the  bombardment4 ,but the copy remains1
 and bears witness to the painter's     
early love for sombre backgrounds1 shot 
through with shimmerings of  light4     
,during his vacations1 which were passed
 at ,bernwiller1 ,henner paid  numerous 
visits to ,basle and to ,colmar1 where  
he went for the purpose  of studying the
 old ,german masters1 ,holbein1         
,schongauer1 and ,drer4  ,holbein       
especially delighted and inspired him3  
he loved his honest1  firm1 frank       
line-work1 no less than he appreciated  
the spirit of poetry  with which the    
early master imbued all his models4     
,what a schooling for  a painter really 
enamoured of his art6 ,in this ardent   
study of ,holbein1  ,henner confirmed   
the opinion1 that had already taken     
shape in his mind1  that there is no    
good painting where there is not good   
drawing1 and  that no one has the right 

to claim to be a painter if he cannot   
lay his  colours upon a solidly built   
foundation4 ,the craftsman must always  
precede the artist4    ,in the case of  
,henner1 at this time1 the craftsmanship
 was perfect2  nothing remained but to  
open a career for the artist4 ,the young
 painter  had faith1 courage1 and       
ambition2 he dreamed of continuing his  
studies1  of perfecting himself1 of     
having other teachers4 ,but these       
teachers  were precisely what           
,strassburg could not furnish2 and      
,paris1 the great  city1 the centre of  
learning and of art1 ,paris was not far 
distant4  ,what joy1 if he could only go
 there6 ,at this juncture1 ,gurin died4 
,having lost his master1 ,henner had    
nothing else to detain him in           
,strassburg4 ,accordingly1 he put his   
trust in ,providence1 and1 with his     
heart pulsing with hope1 started on his 
way to the capital4                     
,,his ,,arrival ,,in ,,paris            
,henner arrived in ,paris1 light of     

purse but full of courage4 ,he          
presented himself at the studio of      
,drolling1 a compatriot1 where he       
proceeded to toil like a galley-slave4  
,in order to subsist1 he gleaned  here  
and there a little something by painting
 portraits2 but1 alas1  these were rare 
and wretchedly underpaid6 ,they by no   
means brought him  a living2 he         
experienced the keenest privations1 and 
before long was  unable to pay his      
monthly contribution of twenty francs   
towards the  rental of the studio4 ,what
 was he to do8 ,drolling was an artist  
with a  big heart1 and he loved his     
young pupil3 ,henner had only to confide
 in  him1 but he was too proud to admit 
his poverty4 ,should he appeal to his   
brothers8 ,he did not even dream of     
doing so1 for he knew how hard they     
found it1 back there at home1 to make   
both ends meet1 even though they  turned
 and returned the natal soil without    
respite4 ,accordingly1 he  chose the    
heroic part of returning to ,alsace4    

,there he passed the next  two years1   
painting portraits and depriving himself
 even of necessities  in order to       
economize and save up a fund4 ,when his 
savings seemed to  him sufficiently     
large1 he set forth once more for ,paris
 and returned  to ,drolling4 ,the latter
 was stupefied at the progress ,henner  
had made4    ,but why1 he demanded1 why 
did you leave the studio like that1     
without a word of warning8    ,hereupon 
,henner confessed the cause for his     
departure2 and on hearing  his story1   
the tears rose up in the kind old       
artist's eyes1 while at  the same time  
he grew red with anger3    ,people don't
 do such things1 he said1 and they don't
 show false  pride when they have a     
talent like yours2 but instead1 they    
compete for  the ,prix de ,rome1 and    
they win it6    ,the ,prix de ,rome6 ,a 
dream1 which perhaps ,henner had already
 vaguely  glimpsed1 but the realization 
of which seemed to him at that time too 
audacious and chimerical6 ,that he1 the 

little painter from ,alsace1  friendless
 and unknown1 might obtain this supreme 
distinction which  proclaims a talent6  
,he did not dare to believe it1 and yet 
his old  master1 ,drolling1 was an      
authority in art and not prodigal of his
  praise4 ,drolling did even better than
 encourage ,henner1 he made use of  his 
friendship with the prefect of the      
department of the ,lower ,rhine to      
obtain an annuity for him4 ,at the      
request of this official1 the general   
council of the department granted       
,jean-,jacques ,henner an annual pension
  of five hundred francs4 ,this was very
 little1 no doubt1 but at least it      
meant his daily bread6    ,henner never 
had the pleasure of thanking ,drolling2 
a rapid illness  ended the life of the  
aged master in a few days1 before the   
matter in  question had been adjusted2  
but the young artist always retained a  
grateful memory of him4    ,while       
awaiting the ,prix de ,rome1 it was     
necessary to earn a living3  for1 as may

 easily be imagined1 the meagre subsidy 
of five hundred  francs could not       
suffice for all of ,henner's needs4 ,he 
had the good  luck to make the          
acquaintance of a painter who worked    
mainly for  ,americans4 ,he was a       
portrait painter and possessed a        
numerous clientle  from ,yankee-land4   
,as he could not keep up with the demand
  single-handed1 he made a proposition  
to ,henner that the latter should  paint
 the coats1 cravats1 and linen of his   
puppet-show1 as he called  them1        
reserving for himself the task of       
putting in the faces1  mistrusting1 no  
doubt1 the competence of his            
collaborator4 ,however  humble the work1
 ,henner accepted gratefully1 for it    
enabled him to  better his lot1 to put  
aside a reserve fund1 and even to come  
to the  aid of the family left at home4 
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iv4--,,the     
,,little ,,writer    7,petit ,palais des
 ,beaux-,arts7    ,this unkempt but     
earnest little worker1 diligently       

bending over  his copy-book1 is a       
portrait of the artist's own nephew4    
,this picture  for a long time adorned  
the wall of his studio in the ,place    
,pigalle4    ,shortly afterwards1 he won
 a medal from the cole des ,beaux-,arts1
 which  gave him the right of free      
admission to the studio of the artist   
,picot4    ,henner was at this time     
twenty-seven years of age4 ,he felt that
 he was  now ready to enter the lists   
for the ,prix de ,rome4 ,boldly he set  
himself to his task4 ,the subject       
assigned was as follows3 ,adam and ,eve 
,discovering the ,body of ,abel4        
,henner's conception of the subject was 
admirable4 ,abel stretched at length    
under the shadow of dense foliage1  and 
beside him1 on her knees and            
heart-broken with grief1 ,eve suffers   
the terrible blow of divine malediction1
 while ,adam1 standing petrified  with  
horror1 seems not yet to have realized  
the immensity of his loss4    ,in this  
painting1 the manner which is destined  

to become distinctive of  this artist   
declares itself3 a luminous profundity  
of landscape that  emphasizes the       
whiteness of ,abel's flesh4 ,although   
satisfied with his  work1 ,henner was   
doubtful of the result4 ,he trembled1   
for he had staked  his entire future    
upon this picture4 ,but he found        
unexpected  encouragement from the      
little model who had posed for him and  
his  competitors1 in the character of   
,abel4    ,have no doubt about it1 the  
child told him1 you will win the prize4 
,none of the others can compare with    
yours4    ,and ,henner1 only too glad to
 believe1 went to work with redoubled   
zeal1  to justify the admiration of his 
little model4 ,his composition1         
however1 when finished1 proved to be    
incomplete3 he had forgotten to  include
 the club which ,cain had used to strike
 down ,abel4 ,at the last  moment he    
added this accessory so dexterously that
 the arrangement of  the picture as a   
whole was undisturbed4    ,there was no 

discussion regarding the bestowal of the
 prize4 ,henner was  unanimously        
declared the winner4    ,it is easy to  
imagine ,henner's joy4 ,nevertheless a  
shadow dimmed it3  that of not having   
been able to give his mother the final  
consolation  of his triumph4 ,that      
worthy and courageous woman died but    
shortly  before1 blessing and           
encouraging him almost with her final   
breath4                                 
,,the ,,years ,,in ,,rome      ,rome1   
that prodigious repository of art6 with 
what reverential  admiration the young  
artist approached her6 ,what fascinated 
him from  the start1 offspring that he  
was of fair and undulating ,alsace1 was 
the  ,roman ,campagna with its violent  
contrasts1 its wide expanses ablaze     
with sunlight1 cleft here and there with
 dense shadows1 profound and            
nevertheless luminous4 ,here before his 
eyes1 within reach of his  palette1 was 
not this the ideal landscape1 such as   
his artistic  instinct had taught him to

 prevision8 ,shadow and light clashing1 
interpenetrating1 in order to form an   
imponderable and luminous dust1  the    
light vivifying the shadow1 the shadow  
sifting out the crudities of  the       
light1--picture his joy at having       
foreseen all this instinctively1        
without having seen it1 solely by his   
artistic intuition6    ,the five years  
which he passed in ,rome were one       
perpetual enchantment4  ,the proof of   
this is found in his correspondence with
 ,m4 ,goutzwiller1  his first           
drawing-master1 who remained his best   
friend4 ,one receives  the impression1  
in reading it1 that he lived in a       
continuous ecstasy1  in a world of      
fairyland4    ,illustration3 ,,plate    
,v4--,,joseph ,,bara    7,petit ,palais 
des ,beaux-,arts7    ,this subject1     
consecrated to the glory of the young   
hero of the  ,revolution1 had already   
been magnificently treated by ,david2   
none  the less1 ,henner's ,bara is not  
inferior to the other1 and if perhaps   

it inspires a less degree of pity1 there
 is something truly dramatic  in the    
outstretched body1 under the lowering   
sky4    ,and with what admiration and   
reverence he speaks of the great        
masters6  ,how he loves them1 and how   
well he understands the prodigious      
greatness  of certain ones among them6  
,the ,venetians especially1 those       
incomparable colourists1 fired his      
ardour4 ,he went to ,venice1 in order   
to worship them on the spot1 in the     
presence of their works4 ,but he was    
without prejudice2 his taste was        
eclectic1 like his own talent4 ,his     
love for ,titian and ,giorgione did not 
prevent him from valuing ,raphael  and  
,leonardo da ,vinci4 ,he loved them all1
 because he understood them  all and    
because in each one of them he          
recognized the marvellous gift  of      
genius4 ,but none the less he had one   
preference1 and he could avow  it       
unashamed1 for its object was one of the
 most extraordinary of all  masters of  

design and colour3 ,correggio4          
,everything in the work of that         
admirable artist fascinated him2 his    
dexterity1 which verges upon the        
miraculous1 his prodigious              
foreshortenings1 the magic of his       
palette1  and above all his mastery of  
chiaroscuro1 which no other artist1 not 
even ,rembrandt1 has surpassed4 ,this   
time ,henner had found his true  master1
 the one with whom he was destined to   
impregnate himself  permanently1 as     
regards the harmonious distribution of  
lights and  shades4    ,when he awoke   
from his contemplation of ,correggio1 it
 was in order to  shut himself into his 
studio and feverishly endeavour to      
recapture with  his own brush those     
exquisite colour tones that still       
dazzled his  vision and possessed his   
spirit4 ,what amazed him above all was  
the  simplicity of means employed by the
 great masters to obtain all their      
effects1 even those that seem the most  
complicated4 ,see1 he said1  they have  

on their palettes only a few colours1   
and those the  simplest3 red1 green1    
yellow1 blue1 black1 and white6 ,it is  
the modern  painters who have invented  
the mixtures1 that are so far removed   
from  primitive simplicity6 ,following  
the example of the earlier masters1     
,henner never employed any other colours
 than the simple ones4 ,he always       
showed a marked aversion for mixed      
tints4 ,his colours were always frank   
and sincere1 even when toned down in    
order to avoid glaring and harsh        
effects4 ,and it may justly be said of  
him that1 even on his palette  his      
colours have already imprisoned light4  
,his studies in ,rome did not make him  
forgetful of his obligations3 he  worked
 very seriously at his future exhibits4 
,his five years' sojourn  was           
distinguished by five masterpieces4 ,he 
sent successively to the  ,beaux-,arts  
,christ in ,prison and ,the ,child with 
the ,orange1 pictures  of rare          
perfection1 each of which received the  

award of a medal1 and  both of which    
were purchased by the museum at ,colmar1
 which wished to  possess the first     
works of the young ,alsatian artist4    
,the following  year1 he sent in ,the   
,chaste ,susannah1 now one of the       
treasures of the  ,luxembourg ,museum4  
,the model who posed for ,susannah was  
named ,chiara4  ,she was very handsome  
and well known in the artist world of   
,rome1 and  possessed an education much 
above her station4 ,she exhibited much  
pride  in having served as model for    
such a masterpiece4    ,the picture was 
exhibited at the ,salon of #ahfe1 and1  
curiously enough1  it by no means met   
with the success that it deserved4 ,the 
critics1  accustomed to a very different
 type of painting1 did not understand   
this new and unfamiliar method4         
,thophile ,gautier was the only one who 
proclaimed its merit4 ,it is only fair  
to add that his opinion was  easily     
worth all the others4 ,it is not alone1 
he wrote1 the style  and beauty of line 

that form the distinction of this       
beautiful ,jewess1  but also and more   
especially the fine instinct for colour4
 ,this is no  statue that is bathing    
here1 it is a very genuine woman4    ,at
 this same ,salon1 ,henner exhibited two
 portraits of superior  workmanship3    
that of ,schnets1 director of the cole  
de ,rome1 and that  of ,m4 ,joyau1      
architect of the same school4           
,,the ,,works ,,of ,,henner      ,in    
#ahfe1 ,henner returned to ,paris and   
installed himself in the house in  the  
,place ,pigalle which he occupied during
 the rest of his life4 ,this  house is  
full of memories4 ,it has sheltered1    
either successively or at  the same     
time1 many illustrious painters3 ,jules 
and ,victor ,dupr1  ,thodore ,rousseau1 
,puvis de ,chavannes1 ,boldini1 etc4    
,henner occupied  the lower floor to    
begin with1 but later1 after the death  
of ,pils1 who  had been living on the   
second floor1 he took the latter's      
studio1  because the light was better4  

,and1 from the day of his return to     
,paris1 ,henner entered upon a life of  
unremitting toil and fecundity that     
never ceased to cause astonishment4     
,few painters have left behind them such
 a volume of productions2 his  genre    
pictures1 his landscapes peopled with   
nymphs are innumerable2 as  to his      
portraits1 women's portraits especially1
 it would require far  more ample limits
 than those of the present study merely 
to give a list  of them4 ,and what      
evokes genuine admiration is the fact   
that it is  impossible1 in the midst of 
this extraordinary multiplicity of      
widely  varied works1 to find a single  
one that is not evidently equal to his  
best4 ,and this is because ,henner1     
notwithstanding his facility1  bestowed 
an infinite conscientiousness upon even 
the least important of  his paintings4  
,he regarded it as dishonesty to produce
 merely for the  sake of producing1 or1 
to sum it up in a word1 to do fake work4
    ,indefatigable workman that he was1 

,henner allowed himself few  diversions2
 his life was as strictly ordered as    
that of a monk4 ,always  an early riser1
 he devoted his mornings to his         
landscapes and genre  paintings1 and his
 afternoons to his portraits4 ,from four
 until seven  he was in the habit of    
receiving a few friends or would bury   
himself in  a book1 for he was a great  
reader4 ,it was an exceptional thing for
 him  to dine away from home1 and when  
he went out it was always for the       
purpose of visiting the ,louvre or some 
exhibit of paintings4 ,as a  matter of  
fact1 he was never happy away from his  
studio1 that  celebrated studio which he
 had fitted up with so much taste and   
magnificence4 ,it was there1 in that    
artistic and sumptuous setting1  that he
 executed those innumerable works1 whose
 magnificent flowering  we are about to 
follow1 year by year4 ,it will be       
impossible for us to  cite them all2 we 
must content ourselves with calling     
attention only to  the more remarkable4 

,in #ahfe1 ,henner exhibited his ,biblis
 metamorphosed into a ,spring1 one  of  
his most beautiful paintings4 ,in the   
midst of a sombre landscape1  the       
dazzling nudity of the nymph forms a    
luminous spot1 but the  contrasting     
tones harmonize in a sort of fine and   
golden atmosphere1  blending into the   
profound green of the foliage1 the      
porcelain blue of  the sky1 and the     
resplendent whiteness of the flesh4 ,and
 what  simplicity of means he has used  
to produce this result6 ,henner had     
profited from the lessons of the great  
masters2 and he was never to  forget    
them4    ,the following year came his   
,study of a ,young ,girl4 ,this time it 
was  no longer under leafy canopies that
 the painter chose to place his  model1 
but in the presence of the immensity of 
the blue sea4 ,the  success of this     
painting was very marked and it earned  
the artist a  medal of the first class4 
,but the painter himself was as severe  
towards  his own work as the critics had

 been flattering2 he was not satisfied  
with it1 and when the canvas was once   
again back in his studio1 he  destroyed 
it4 ,what a pity that such a work should
 have been lost1 but  also what a fine  
example1 and what a rare one1 of        
professional  conscientiousness and     
integrity6    ,the work exhibited the   
following year suffered the same fate4  
,in one of  those crises of discontent  
which ,henner1 always severe towards    
himself1  frequently passed through1 he 
once again ripped up his own work1 the  
charming painting known as ,the ,toilet1
 which nevertheless had  received       
nothing but praise while at the ,salon4 
,the public1 by which ,i mean the       
enlightened public1 had now come to     
appreciate the talent of the young      
artist4 ,his reputation was             
established1 and orders began to come   
in4 ,not that he had yet acquired  that 
world-wide celebrity which was destined 
to come later1 but people  were         
beginning to understand the originality 

of his art1 which at first  had provoked
 so much discussion4    ,illustration3  
,,plate ,,vi4--,,the ,,comtesse ,,diane 
7,luxembourg ,museum7    ,this fine     
portrait of the ,comtesse ,diane 7,mme4 
de ,beausacq7 was  executed by ,henner  
at the request of the poet1             
,sully-,prudhomme1  and bequeathed to   
the ,louvre4 ,but it was necessary that 
it should  first remain for the         
prescribed period in the ,luxembourg1   
since no  picture may be admitted into  
the ,louvre until ten years after the   
death of its author4    ,besides1       
,henner was too passionately devoted to 
his art to concern  himself about money4
 ,he always showed the greatest         
disinterestedness4  ,prosperity came to 
him1 ample prosperity1 but he did not   
seek it4 ,it  was the natural recompense
 of this amazing workman1 happily       
supplemented by the most extraordinary  
powers of production4 ,there were       
instances when he produced in the space 
of a few hours pictures that he  sold   

for twenty-five and thirty thousand     
francs4    ,wealth1 however1 did not in 
any way modify either his habits or his 
character4 ,he remained throughout his  
life just as simple1 just as  gentle1   
and just as laborious4 ,this is perhaps 
the right moment at  which to quote the 
charming word-portrait of this good and 
kindly man1  drawn by ,m4 ,claude       
,vento1 who knew him well3    ,if1 by   
his nature as well as by the vigour of  
his genius1 ,henner  deserves to be     
compared to the ,masters of the past1   
his very physique  suggests that he is a
 reincarnation of some one of those     
great artists  of the ,renaissance1     
whose mould had seemingly been broken4  
,robust1  squarely built1 broad of      
shoulder1 with energetic head planted on
 a  rather stout neck1 a countenance    
strong yet gentle1 with features        
strongly marked1 and hair surmounted by 
a black velvet cap1 does not  ,henner as
 a matter of fact1 clad in his velvet   
jacket over a flannel  shirt1 remind us 

of the portrait of ,holbein who was his 
first  inspiration8 ,his whole          
personality bears the stamp of frankness
 and of  kindliness1 a kindliness       
possessing a rather rough exterior1 but 
actually very rare in quality1 as you   
may see in the depths of his pale  blue 
eyes1 as limpid and clear as the eyes of
 a little child4 ,there is  an element  
of navet in his sincere face1 through   
which1 however1 a  deep shrewdness      
penetrates1 a kindliness that is not    
free from mockery1  when his alert wit  
detects insincerity1 whereupon1 behind a
 mocking  smile1 irony leaps to his     
lips1 like fine and delicate arrows1 but
 all  the more stinging for that4 ,but  
this is not customary4 ,although1 like  
all men who have had to struggle1       
,henner is not readily expansive and    
guards himself from the importunate1 by 
his somewhat cold manner1 what  a hearty
 hand-grasp1 loyal and true1 for his    
real friends1 what a  reassuring smile1 
lighting up his virile features1 when   

sympathy knocks  at his door6 ,with what
 unceremonious cordiality he comes in   
person to  answer the bell and open the 
door of his studio to the expected      
visitor6 ,as a usual rule1 ,henner talks
 but little4 ,he listens more than  he  
talks1 and is naturally given to        
reflection4 ,but whatever he says is  to
 the point and is well worth listening  
to4 ,if in his presence the             
conversation chances to turn upon art or
 literature or any other lofty  subject1
 but more especially art1 then the      
passion latent in him all of  a sudden  
bursts forth and reveals itself1 just as
 a fire suddenly  blazes up from beneath
 a pile of ashes1 and all the more      
violently  because it has been so long  
smouldering4 ,at such times his language
 is  vivid1 highly coloured1 vigorous1  
and full of conviction4 ,the words  come
 to his lips without effort and flow in 
a rapid stream4 ,and the  listener      
realizes that he is in the presence of a
 truthful nature1  ardent and resolute1 

a conscientious judge and a great       
artist1 whose  enthusiasms are sincere  
and whose will is strong and tenacious4 
,here we have the complete picture of   
the man1 discreet1 laborious1  modest1  
an enemy of noise and notoriety1 and    
revealing himself to the  public only   
through his signature unfailingly       
appended to the lower  margin of his    
immortal canvases4    ,the series of    
them is imposing4 ,at the ,exposition of
 #ahfg1 ,henner was  represented by ,the
 ,chaste ,susannah1 ,the ,young ,bather 
,asleep1 ,the  ,reclining ,woman1 an    
admirable masterpiece now in the        
collection of the  ,mulhouse museum1 and
 seven portraits which bore witness to  
the artist's  prodigious fecundity and  
to the infinite variety of his talent4  
,in #ahfi1 he exhibited only two        
paintings at the ,salon1 but they were  
two gems3 ,the ,woman on the ,black     
,divan1 whose nudity contrasts in       
dazzling fashion with the sombre setting
 of the velvet couch on which  she      

reposes2 and ,the ,little ,writer1 a    
charming portrait of a child1  who      
happens to be the artist's own nephew1  
diligently bending over his  desk4 ,a   
reproduction of this latter picture will
 be found among the  plates of the      
present study4    ,the following year1  
in #ahgj1 ,the ,alsatian ,woman was     
exhibited at the  ,salon4 ,it was a     
personification of his native land1     
,alsace1 that he  loved so dearly1 and  
that he represented in this picture in  
the form of  a vigorous peasant woman   
with a jovial face1 who carries a basket
  filled with apples1 symbolic of       
abundance and happiness4 ,at that time1 
the storm had not burst over that       
ill-fated land2 and there was nothing   
to cause him to foresee it2 the         
,alsatian woman is laughing and         
untroubled1 unaware of her terrible     
destiny4    ,what a contrast was        
afforded by his next work1 ,alsace1     
which the  misfortunes of ,france       
inspired the ardently ,french and       

,alsatian soul of  the artist to        
produce6 ,what emotion emanates from the
 woman clad in  mourning1 whose features
 bear the traces of the grief she has   
suffered  and of the mutilation that has
 taken place6 ,nevertheless1 ravaged as 
it  is by sorrow1 her face still        
radiates a serene pride and an          
unquenchable hope3 the hope of a        
triumphal revenge and of the return of  
,france4 ,henner1 alas1 died without    
having seen the fulfilment of the       
miracle awaited by him with so much     
fervour4 ,it is easy to imagine the     
success which greeted this picture at   
the ,salon of #ahga4 ,stirred to  their 
inmost soul1 the visitors piously took  
off their hats and felt a  wave of the  
artist's patriotic fire pass through    
them4 ,gambetta desired  to see the     
painting1 was delighted with it1 and    
promptly purchased it4    ,after the    
war1 ,henner continued1 as previously1  
to pass his annual  vacations at        
,bernwiller2 he could not bring himself 

to dispense wholly  with his native air2
 and yet what sadness was now entailed  
in returning  home1 and how changed and 
wretched he found it under the          
suspicious and  harassing administration
 of the conquerors6 ,none the less he   
could  still revisit the companions of  
his childhood1 his brothers and his     
nephews1 whom he delighted to receive at
 all hours in the pretty little  brick  
house that he had had built on the      
family property4    ,in #ahgb he        
exhibited ,the ,idyll2 it proved to be  
the biggest success  that he had yet    
achieved4 ,two nymphs are beside a      
fountain1 as night  descends2 one of the
 two is playing on a flute1 the other   
with one hand  resting on her hip1 as   
she leans with her other on the fountain
 rim1  listening4 ,both are nude1 with  
that warm1 vibrant nudity that awakens  
memories of the flesh of ,giorgione's   
women1 in his ,rural ,concert1 and  both
 are enveloped in the waves of their    
tawny tresses4    ,this magnificent     

painting earned ,henner a medal of      
honour which was  bestowed upon him by  
acclamation4 ,it is at present in the   
,museum of the  ,luxembourg1 where it   
forms one of the most valued treasures4 
,to #ahgd belong ,the ,good ,samaritan1 
also now in the ,luxembourg1 and  ,the  
,magdalen in the ,desert1 which belongs 
to the museum of ,toulouse4  ,these two 
pictures1 following such a long         
succession of successful  canvases1     
earned ,henner the ,legion of ,honour4  
,the modest artist was  profoundly      
touched by this distinction1 which      
nevertheless he so well  merited4       
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vii4--,a       
,,naiad    7,luxembourg ,museum7        
,this is one of the most beautiful of   
,henner's paintings4 ,what  grace there 
is in the outstretched body1 what       
suppleness and  vigour in those long and
 slender limbs1 how much beauty in the  
face1 and what a voluptuous abandonment 
throughout that white  and amber body in
 its entirety6 ,the luminous and        

profound  landscape give an admirable   
impression of a warm and peaceful       
twilight4    ,the following year1       
,henner exhibited ,the ,naiad4 ,the     
nymph1 quite  nude1 is lying1 with one  
leg extended1 the other partly flexed1  
upon  the grass1 beside a stream in     
which the azure of the sky is mirrored4 
,she leans her head upon her upraised   
left arm1 and her hair full of  golden  
gleams forms a diadem of fulvous light  
around her4 ,the  voluptuous mouth is   
half open and the eyes have a hint of   
caresses  floating in their liquid      
depths4 ,the transparent whiteness of   
the flesh  seems to sink into the soft  
carpeting of dense verdure1 while under 
the  massive density of the great trees 
a discreet and subtle light  penetrates 
the entire landscape1 softening the     
shadows1 refining the  atmosphere1 and  
caressing with its soft radiance the    
beautiful  outstretched body of the     
naiad4 ,it was once again the           
,luxembourg that  secured possession of 

this incomparable work4    ,in #ahgf1   
,henner essayed an entirely different   
subject1 and a much  severer one1 which 
he nevertheless treated without in any  
way modifying  his manner3 ,the ,dead   
,christ4 ,always an earnest ,christian1 
,henner  loved religious subjects and he
 bestowed upon those that he painted all
  his artistic power and all the fervour
 of his faith4 ,in this picture1  he has
 proved himself the equal of the        
greatest masters1 and he need  have no  
fear of challenging comparison with the 
most illustrious  interpreters of the   
,crucifixion4    ,there is still another
 subject of a religious nature that     
,henner  undertook the following year3  
,the ,head of ,st4 ,john the ,baptist1 a
  work of striking realism4 ,at the same
 ,salon1 that of #ahgg1 he also         
exhibited a pagan subject1 ,evening1    
representing a woman couched upon  the  
grass and viewed from behind1 completely
 enveloped in the masses of  her        
red-gold hair4    ,next came ,the       

,naiads1 whose sculpture-like           
silhouettes are profiled  against the   
silvered background of a superbly       
lighted landscape4 ,it was  this canvas 
which inspired ,armand ,sylvestre to    
write a very charming  poem1 in which   
the following lines are included3       
,by dreaming waters under sleeping      
skies1        ,where nature's bowl      
entraps the widening stream1      ,a    
troupe of naiads1 hid from mortal eyes1 
,toss to the breeze their tresses'      
golden sheen4    ,at the ,salon of      
#ahgh1 ,henner was represented by       
several pictures4 ,to  begin with1 there
 was ,holbein's ,wife and ,children1 the
 artist's  tribute to the memory of the 
by-gone master who had been the source  
of  his first enthusiasm and first      
inspiration3 furthermore1 ,the ,young   
,girl in ,black and ,the ,lady with the 
,umbrella4    ,in #ahgi came ,the       
,eclogue1 a composition of classic      
harmony and  beauty4 ,with elbows       
leaning on the margin of a well1 a nymph

 of  resplendent beauty stands upright  
in an attitude of reverie4 ,in front  of
 her1 a companion is bending over the   
mirror-like surface of a stream  which  
crosses the landscape1 and her glowing  
hair envelops her wholly1  like a mantle
 of gold4 ,the sombre verdure of the    
great trees emphasizes  the dazzling    
whiteness of the two female forms2 above
 and beyond the  foliage1 a glimpse of  
blue sky adds its glad and luminous     
note4    ,we must not forget ,the       
,magdalen1 which was the most widely    
discussed  work exhibited at this       
,salon4 ,the subject was one of which   
the artist  was especially fond2 he     
treated it a number of times1 and it    
almost  seemed as though he wanted to   
prove the variability of a brush that   
never repeated itself and of a talent   
that was continually renewed4  ,this    
time the penitent of the ,gospel story  
is crouching in the entrance  to a cave1
 in an attitude of prayer4 ,in the half 
shadow cast by the  overhanging rock1   

the body of the ,magdalen radiates      
brightness1 while  ripples of light     
shimmer through her golden tresses4     
,this beautiful  picture is to be seen  
to-day in the ,petit ,palais1 in the    
room reserved  for the works of ,henner4
    ,each succeeding year now brought   
new masterpieces and new triumphs4 ,two 
paintings were shown in the ,salon of   
#ahhj3 ,sleep and ,the ,fountain4  ,the 
first of these represents a young girl1 
almost a child1 sunken in  profound     
sleep4 ,around the face1 in its golden  
frame of hair1 the  artist has diffused 
an aureole of peace1 candour1 and       
innocence which  brings to mind some    
legendary saint4 ,rarely has the artist 
achieved  such perfection of line and   
such beauty of expression4 ,the painting
 was  purchased by the ,prince de       
,broglie4    ,in ,the ,fountain we      
behold a woman1 beautiful with the      
beauty of red  gold1 like all of        
,henner's women4 ,she is resting her    
hand upon the  margin of a well1 and    

seems to be gazing at her own reflection
 in the  water4    ,this same ,salon    
also includes ,andromeda in ,chains1    
which belongs  to-day to ,mme4          
,raffalowitz4    ,from time to time     
,henner reverted to religious paintings1
 for which1  after the fashion of the   
great masters of the past1 he always    
retained  a marked fondness4 ,thus it   
happened that he exhibited at the ,salon
 of  #ahha a ,st4 ,jerome1 a subject all
 the more venturesome to paint  because 
many of the most illustrious artists1   
such as ,drer1  ,tintoretto1 and        
,veronese1 had treated it before him4   
,yet ,henner might  well challenge      
comparison with these redoubtable       
predecessors1 and this  picture1 now in 
the ,luxembourg1 is numbered among his  
best4    ,the ,spring1 which figured at 
the same ,salon1 inevitably challenges  
comparison with the same subject        
formerly treated by ,ingres4 ,employing 
wholly different means1 ,henner achieved
 the same degree of perfection  as that 

attained by the illustrious author of   
,the ,odalisque4 ,in  ,ingres' picture  
of ,the ,spring1 the flesh of the young 
girl has the  freshness of some delicate
 and fragile fruit2 in that of          
,henner's1 it  has the velvety savour of
 a fruit that is fully ripe4 ,both      
paintings  show the same masterly       
science of line-work1 the same          
impeccable  sureness of execution1 and  
also the same profound sense of virginal
  chastity in the nude4 ,henner's       
,spring was purchased by an ,american   
for eleven thousand dollars 7#ee1jjj    
francs74 ,this is one of the highest    
prices ever paid for the work of a      
living painter4    ,in #ahhb came ,bara1
 of which we give a reproduction in the 
present  volume1 and which is now to be 
seen in the ,petit ,palais4 ,this was   
still  another subject which had been   
previously treated1 and by no less a    
master than ,david6 ,both painters were 
equally felicitous in rendering  the    
charming youthfulness of the small hero 

who fell so gloriously for  his country4
 ,a comparison of the two works is all  
the more pleasurable  because one       
discovers that1 however dissimilar they 
may be1 they  express the same          
appreciation of classic beauty and the  
same reverence  for form4    ,in #ahhc  
we have ,the ,woman ,reading1 a dazzling
 poem in blond flesh  that brings to    
mind ,correggio's ,magdalen ,reading1   
now contained in  the ,munich           
collection4 ,in contrast with the       
opulence of the above  portrait1 we have
 next a countenance of remarkable       
gentleness1 ideal in  its expression of 
purity1 in the picture entitled ,the    
,nun4 ,she is  quite young and quite    
fair1 and she is kneeling upon the      
pavement in  prayer1 while her pale     
girlish face emerges from the sombre    
frame of  her black garb1 like an       
immaculate lily overgrown with weeds4   
,this time  ,henner had surpassed       
himself2 he had interpreted with        
inimitable  strokes the beauty of       

renunciation and the purity of an       
ecstatic life4    ,this ,salon was one  
of the most glorious that the great     
artist ever knew4    ,nevertheless1 it  
was the very next year that he exhibited
 ,the ,weeping  ,nymph1 his magnificent 
nymph prostrate upon the ground1 sobbing
 with  her face in her hands and her    
whole body writhing with anguish4 ,after
  this came ,fabiola1 that superb1      
virgin profile crowned with a red  cap1 
which the engraver's art has spread     
throughout the world in the  form of    
millions of reprints1 until its renown  
is universal4    ,in #ahhf1 some more   
,nymphs and ,the ,orphan ,girl1 treated 
in the same  manner as ,fabiola1 and    
forming in a certain sense a companion  
piece4    ,then came ,the ,creole1 a    
fascinating woman's head1 done in warm  
flesh  tones1 amber-tinted1 keenly      
alive2 a picture which the ,state       
promptly  acquired4 ,then1 next in      
order1 ,herodiade1 a young girl of      
fifteen1 or  thereabouts1 clad in a     

clinging scarlet tunic1 her black eyes  
gleaming  with a fathomless light4      
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,viii4--,,the   
,,magdalen ,,with ,,the ,,crucifix      
7,petit ,palais des ,beaux-,arts7       
,this is a subject which ,henner treated
 several times4 ,the ,magdalen  here    
reproduced is1 beyond all else1 a       
beautiful and robust  creature1 whose   
repentance finds little testimony in her
 features  that are barely clouded by a 
faint shadow of melancholy4 ,yet it is  
difficult to conceive of a more         
delicious study of a woman4    ,we need 
not go further with our catalogue of    
,henner's works2 it would  only         
necessitate a continual repetition of   
the same praises and  monotonous        
descriptions of pictures that the whole 
world knows1 at  least from the         
engravings of them4 ,up to the end of   
his life1 the  artist continued to make 
regular and methodical progress2 up to  
the  end1 his talent preserved its      
vigour and its youth4 ,it even seems as 

though in his latest works his light had
 acquired more transparency1  his       
foliage a more vibrant warmth1 his flesh
 tones a more dazzling  splendour4      
,in the course of time1 his success had 
increased1 his reputation had  become   
world-wide4 ,americans outbid one       
another for his pictures1 and  purchased
 them at fabulous prices4 ,and together 
with wealth came  honours4 ,i mean the  
only kind of honours that would have    
been welcomed  by this modest and       
laborious artist1 who sought neither the
 hubbub of  vulgar notoriety1 nor the   
glitter of official functions4    ,but1 
with his passionate devotion to         
painting1 which had formed the one      
ideal of his life1 he was not displeased
 to see honour paid1 through  himself as
 the medium1 to an art that he had      
constantly striven to  practise with the
 utmost dignity and the profoundest     
love4 ,with  undisguised gladness he    
accepted the successive decorations     
bestowed  upon him in the ,order of the 

,legion of ,honour4 ,and the son of the 
,bernwiller gardener experienced quite a
 legitimate pride when the  unanimous   
appreciation of his peers opened the    
doors of the ,institute  to him4        
,,the ,,portrait ,,painter      ,it is  
impossible to speak of ,henner1 and yet 
pass over in silence his  success as a  
portrait painter1 in which capacity he  
was equal1 if not  superior1 to the     
painter of nymphs and ,magdalens4    ,in
 his portrait work ,henner was first of 
all the portrayer of women1 as  indeed1 
throughout his life1 he had been in all 
his paintings4    ,there was no dearth  
of models4 ,they came to him in throngs1
 and his  studio in the ,place ,pigalle 
witnessed a procession of the most      
magnificent beauties of ,france and the 
world at large4 ,henner1 however1  was  
never a flattering portrait painter1 nor
 even a complaisant one4 ,he  had too   
much respect for himself and for his art
 to trade upon his  professional        
integrity2 he was too fervent a         

worshipper of nature to  distort it1 or 
even to paraphrase it4 ,his portraits   
are literally  portraits1 in the highest
 sense of the word2 ,i mean that they   
are  faithful copies of the person      
represented1 and that no trace of       
adulation could be found in a single one
 of them4 ,but he excelled in           
extracting from the physiognomy of his  
model that one intimate note  which each
 one of us conceals within himself1 and 
that is now and then  betrayed upon our 
features in a fugitive yet unmistakable 
gleam4 ,it is  this hidden note1 this   
inner flame1 this latent nobility1 this 
moral  beauty which ,henner had the     
peculiar gift of divining and           
interpreting4    ,is it at all          
surprising1 with such advantages1 that  
,henner's portraits  are of such        
superior workmanship that they are      
almost always  masterpieces8            
,unfortunately1 it is impossible here to
 enter upon an  extensive study of      
,henner the portrait painter2 we must   

content  ourselves with citing the most 
celebrated of his portraits of women3   
,mme4 ,paul ,dubois1 ,mme4 ,bonard1     
,mme4 ,sdille1 a charming countenance1  
seen full-face1 the black shawl throwing
 her rich beauty into relief2  ,mme4    
,jules ,ferry1 ,mme4 ,scheurer-,kestner1
 ,mme4 ,charles ,hayem1 ,mme4           
,koechlin-,schwartz1 ,mlle4 ,formig1    
,mme4 ,pasteur and ,mlle4 ,pasteur1 the 
magnificent portrait of ,miss ,eldin1   
whose regal blond beauty is framed  in a
 bewitching ,gainsborough hat2 ,mlle4   
,marcille1 ,mlle4 ,mosenthal1  ,mlle4   
,sdille1 ,mlle4 ,gentien1 an admirable  
symphony of black tones1 in  which all  
the accessories1 the gloves and fan1 are
 of sombre colour2  this portrait is one
 of ,henner's best2 ,mme4 ,eumont1 whose
 black  garments form a curious contrast
 to her powdered hair2 then1 three      
masterpieces3 the portraits of the three
 daughters of ,mme4 ,porgs1 and  also   
that of ,mme4 ,porgs herself with her   
youngest child2 the ,comtesse           

d',ideville1 whose red robe forms a warm
 and luminous contrast to the  sombre   
background of the picture2 ,her         
,imperial ,highness1 the ,countess  of  
,eu1 daughter of ,dom ,pedro1 ,emperor  
of ,brazil2 the ,princesse de  ,broglie1
 ne ,say1 daughter of the millionaire   
refiner2 ,mme4  ,fournier-,sarlevze1 a  
fascinating woman1 who died prematurely2
 ,mme4  ,raffalowitz1 ,mme4 ,oulman1    
,mme4 ,henry ,fouquier1 and her charming
  daughter1 ,mlle4 ,fouquier1 ,mme4     
,rodrigues1 ,mlle4 ,leroux1 ,mlle4 de   
,morell1 ,mme4 ,fougre-,dubourg1 ,mme4  
,kutner2 ,mme4 ,daniel ,dollfus1        
portrayed standing2 the ,marquise de    
,mosges2 ,mme4 ,hippolyte ,adam2 ,mme4  
de ,rute1 ,mme4 ,jules ,siegfried1 ,mme4
 ,duplay1 ,mme4 ,fabre1 ,mme4 ,peltreau1
  the ,baroness ,brincard2 ,mlle4       
,hosched2 ,mlle4 ,chanzy1 ,mlle4        
,fernande  ,dubourg2 ,mme4 ,herzog1     
,mme4 ,silhal1 ,mme4 ,brossard1 ,mme4   
,loreau1 ,mme4 de  ,crpy1 ,mme4         
,raphael1 ,mme4 ,jules ,walfrey1 ,mme4  

,charras1 ,mme4 ,marochetti1  ,mme4     
,dimer1 ,mme4 ,carmian1 ,mme4 ,monthier1
 in black and with black  drapery over  
her shoulders1 ,mme4 de ,beausacq 7the  
,comtesse ,diane71 a  beautiful portrait
 of which we give a reproduction2 this  
portrait was  executed by ,henner at the
 request of ,sully-,prudhomme and       
bequeathed to  the ,louvre2 but it has  
not yet been transferred to that great  
national  museum2 it is still in the    
,luxembourg1 and is regarded as one of  
its  choicest treasures4                
,furthermore1 mention should be made of 
,mlle4 ,valentine ,edmond ,about1       
,mlle4 ,brincard1 ,mme4 ,jules          
,claretie1 the ,comtesse ,kessler1 one  
of the  master's most successful        
portraits and one that he obtained from 
a  single sitting2 ,mme4 ,shopey1 a     
fascinating ,creole from the island of  
,bourbon1 whose profile has an ideal    
beauty that inspired ,henner to  produce
 a veritable masterpiece2 he was no less
 successful in  portraying ,mme4        

,noetzlin1 another exquisite exotic     
beauty1 whose  languid indolence and    
captivating charm he has rendered with  
infinite  vigour and grace4    ,but one 
of his most beautiful portraits is that 
of ,mme4 ,karekehia1 the  mother of     
,nubar ,pacha1 who1 although quite      
advanced in age1 is  represented in a   
charming pose that emphasizes her       
natural attractions4  ,nowhere else     
perhaps did ,henner rise to such a      
height1 or obtain such a  degree of     
truth in his interpretation of a human  
physiognomy4    ,and how many other     
portraits there are1 equally beautiful1 
equally  powerful1 if only we might cite
 them all6    ,painter of women though  
he was1 ,henner did not refuse as a     
settled  policy to paint men1 but it was
 difficult to make up his mind to do so4
  ,not that he showed less ability in   
his portraiture of men4 ,it was  simply 
that it cost him something to renounce1 
even temporarily1 the  cult of feminine 
beauty1 to which he had dedicated       

himself4 ,he loved to  make rays of     
light play harmoniously over blond      
flesh1 over silken  fabrics1 over       
draperies2 and the uniformity of        
masculine garments does  not lend itself
 to this sort of magic4 ,none the less1 
he produced a few  portraits of men     
which are absolutely remarkable2        
portraits of personal  friends1 for the 
most part1 which he painted with a      
solicitude that  makes itself felt3 such
 are the portraits of ,jules ,claretie1 
of ,dr4  ,leroy1 of the painter ,parrot1
 of the sculptor ,paul ,dubois1 the poet
  ,sully-,prudhomme1 of the publisher   
,georges ,charpentier1 of ,general      
,chanzy4 ,henner also painted a little  
portrait of ,pasteur1 which was  never  
shown at the ,salon1 but is nevertheless
 one of the most keenly  alive and most 
perfect of his works4    ,it would also 
be only fitting to consider ,henner's   
work from the  particular point of view 
of landscape painting which occupies so 
large  a place in his pictures2 but the 

circumscribed space of the present      
study does not permit of this4          
,henner aged peacefully in the          
tranquillity of his studio and the      
harmonious regularity of an existence   
consecrated to labour and to art4  ,in  
#aijj1 at the time of the ,universal    
,exposition1 he obtained one of  the    
four grand prizes bestowed by the judges
 upon the greatest artists4    ,in this 
life of ,henner's1 unmarked by any      
extraordinary event1  everything is as  
limpid and as clear as a woodland spring
 whose  transparent waters flow         
peacefully1 slipping noiselessly under  
cover of  the moss4 ,until the end1     
,henner retained his modesty1 his       
natural  simplicity1 his aversion to    
notoriety2 and when in #aije he died1   
there  was no dissenting voice in the   
general praise of his character and his 
talent4    ,henner possessed the rare   
privilege1 not of having created a type1
 but  of having left upon contemporary  
art the imprint of his powerful         

personality4 ,we are also in debt to him
 for a return to the dignity of  the    
great classic types1 to a beauty of form
 achieved in accordance  with an        
original and rejuvenated conception4    
,like ,puvis de ,chavannes1  he has     
taught us to appreciate the majestic    
harmony of antique  composition1 and    
also1 like him1 he has given us an      
example of a  richness of colour carried
 to the culminating point by the        
simplest of  means4 ,steeped in         
classicism beneath its brilliant        
exterior1 grounded  on a mastery of     
line-work1 underneath the gleaming      
colours1 ,henner's  art has broken down 
all opposition1 silenced all criticism1 
and evoked  universal admiration because
 it unites these two masterly qualities 
which form the basis of imperishable    
painting3 conscientiousness and  genius4
                                        
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,transcriber's ,note3    ,the plates and

 their captions have been moved to      
paragraph breaks4    ,minor printer's   
errors have been corrected1 but variant 
and irregular  spellings have been      
retained4    ,page #aa3 ,a caption was  
added for the sake of clarity    ,page  
#bc3 extraodinary intensity of life     
replaced with extraordinary  intensity  
of life    ,page #gg3 culte of feminine 
beauty replaced with cult of feminine   
beauty