Ary Scheffer – Lithographed Portrait Of Horace Vernet, Published By Goupil, Circa 1840

ARY SCHEFFER
PORTRAIT OF HORACE VERNET

ARY SCHEFFER
Dordrecht 1705 – 1585 Argenteuil

Lithograph on paper
Signed in the stone: “M. Alophe d’après H. Scheffer”
Printed below: “Imp. Lith. de Cattier”, “HORACE VERNET”, “New York, publish’d by Goupil, Vibert & Co. 289, Broadway”, “Paris, Goupil, Vibert & Cie éditeurs”, “London, publish’d by E. Gambart & Co. 25, Berners St. Oxf. St.”

35 × 23 cm / 13.8 × 9.1 in (image and inscriptions)
45 × 32.5 cm / 17.7 × 12.8 in (sheet; with loss to upper right corner)

Private collection, Vienna

A FRENCH MASTER IN LITHOGRAPHY: ARY SCHEFFER

This finely executed lithographic portrait of Horace Vernet, one of the leading French painters of the July Monarchy, reflects the refined sensibility of Ary Scheffer (1795–1858), whose original drawing served as the basis for this print, here rendered by the hand of M. Alophe and printed by the famous lithographer Cattier.

Ary Scheffer, born in Dordrecht into a family of painters, became one of the central figures of Romanticism in France. After studying in Paris and absorbing the influences of Géricault and Delacroix, he developed a style combining romantic sentiment with classical clarity. While celebrated for his literary and historical subjects, Scheffer was equally esteemed as a portraitist. Among those he portrayed were Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, La Fayette, Charles Dickens, the duchess Dorothée de Talleyrand-Périgord, and Queen Marie-Amélie of Bourbon.

Scheffer was especially beloved by Polish émigré elites in Paris. His close friendship with Zygmunt Krasiński, one of Poland’s “Three Bards,” resulted in several portraits of Krasiński’s wife Eliza Branicka and his muse Delfina Potocka. His likeness of Chopin remains one of the most iconic images of the composer. Scheffer’s engagement with the Polish community extended to lithography — a medium he appreciated for its accessibility and reproducibility. Numerous lithographic portraits of Polish subjects derive from his original drawings, including those of the Potocki and Krasiński families.

This print, produced and distributed by the renowned firm Goupil, Vibert & Cie in Paris, New York, and London, exemplifies the international prestige of Scheffer’s name and image. The sitter, Horace Vernet (1789–1863), himself a prominent painter of military and historical scenes, is shown in a crisp, authoritative pose, his features rendered with clarity and restraint — qualities typical of Scheffer’s approach to portraiture.

Though printed in multiple cities, the lithograph was clearly aimed at a cosmopolitan audience attuned to the cultural currents of Romantic Europe.