Achille Deveria (paris 1800–1857), Sang Froid De Catherine Paar

Study for the lithograph “Sang froid de Catherine Parr”
Black pencil on laid paper
285 x 205 mm
Signature stamp in the lower right corner
Inscription at the bottom: “Henry and Catherine Pare” ”



This drawing is a preparatory study for the lithograph *The Composure of Catherine Parr*, part of a series of six plates dedicated to the wives of King Henry VIII of England and published by Bulla around 1850.

Catherine Parr was Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife, as well as the first to outlive him. She knew how to charm the king—who was then ill and aging—and make herself indispensable in order to retain his favor.

During the Romantic era, the tragic fate of Henry VIII’s wives sparked intense fascination. In the 19th century, the tumultuous history of the Tudors thus experienced a resurgence in popularity in the arts, literature, and music.
Interest in these historical periods and their reinterpretation by 19th-century artists fostered the rise of the troubadour aesthetic, of which Achille Devéria and his brother Eugène were leading exponents.
Achille Devéria excelled at genre scenes and historical subjects, as well as in portraiture.


BIOGRAPHY OF ACHILLE DEVÉRIA

Achille Devéria showed an aptitude for drawing from an early age and pursued an artistic education at the École des Beaux-Arts. In particular, he attended the studios of Anne-Louis Girodet and Louis Laffitte, a draftsman in the court of King Louis XVIII. His early career was promising, but, faced with his parents’ financial difficulties, he chose to pursue a more lucrative occupation in order to support them. He then produced numerous lithographs for various publishers and became one of the most renowned lithographers of the Romantic era.

He also provided significant support to his younger brother Eugène, whom he took under his wing and introduced to drawing and painting.
In the 1820s and 1830s, the family home, located near that of their friend Victor Hugo, became a major gathering place for the Parisian Romantic scene. The Devérias hosted, among others, Alexandre Dumas, Louis Boulanger, and Eugène Delacroix, with whom Achille practiced lithography.

In 1848, Achille Devéria was appointed director of the Department of Prints and Maps at the National Library of France. Through marriage, he also became the son-in-law of the lithographer Charles Motte.


REFERENCE BIBLIOGRAPHY: GUIFFREY, Jules, “Achille and Eugène Devéria. Their Lives and Works Based on New Documents,” *L’Art: Revue hebdomadaire illustrée*, vol. XXXII (vol. 1), 1883.