Study for the Allegorical Figure of Art

Gé́́́rôme achieved exceptional technical mastery after training under Paul Delaroche and attending the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where he was appointed professor in 1863. A mural commission was awarded to Gé́́́rôme in 1850 by the Ministry of Public Education as they renovated the thirteenth-century refectory of St. Martin-des-Champs, converting it into a library for the Museum of Arts and Crafts (Conservatoire des Arts et Mé́́́tiers). The program consisted of two pairs of allegorical female figures representing Sculpture and Painting, and Chemistry and Physics, surmounted by two bust-length medallions representing Art and Science. This sketch of a woman's head and shoulders in a roundel is preparatory for the Art medallion. The entire mural was intentionally destroyed in 1965 when the government decided to convert the building into its present function as the Musé́́́e des Arts et Mé́́́tiers. The decorations are recorded in photographs and in a preparatory study in oils (Montpellier, Musé́́́e Fabre, 876.341) that shows the roundels with Art and Science above the allegorical figures of Enamel, Ceramics, Physics, and Chemistry. The Morgan preserves a large study for the roundel devoted to Science (2013.4).