MEISSONIER, Jean Louis Ernest, zh8ti loo-e er-na ma-so-nya, French painter: b. Lyons, France, 21 Feb. 1815; d. Paris, 31 Jan. 1891. He came to Paris in early youth and entered the studio of Cogniet, meanwhile form ing his style on the Dutch masters as repre sented in the Louvre. He first attracted atten tion by his illustrations of the Bible, Bossuet's (Universal History,) (Orlando Furioso,' 'Paul and Virginia,' etc. His earliest paintings in genre to be exhibited in the Salon were (The Little Messenger> and Chess Player' (1836). His reputation grew rapidly on the successive appearance of Monk) (1838) ; (The English Doctor' (1839) ; The Chess Party> (1841). The times of Louis XIV and Louis XV with all the accessory richness and variety of costumes, weapons and domestic lux ury, began to find in him their most successful delineator. In the many canvases which he produced in this narrow department of genre he showed a keen and strong, but not too florid, power of characterization, which was accom panied with a marvelous technique in the hand ling of stuffs, metals, etc. But modern his tory eventually claimed his attention and he found a congenial field for the exercise of his special gifts in the campaigns of Napoleon. His pictures were often small, but finished with mi nute and delicate virtuosity, a good example of which may be seen in his 'Cuirassiers of but he is perhaps less successful in large can vases and elaborate figure compositions than in his small paintings. Among his most famous
pictures of the Napoleonic cycle are (Napoleon I with his Staff) and 'Napoleon III at Sol ferino) (1864); 'Napoleon I at Friedland' (1875), now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York. In his latter days he painted Vene tian scenery and architectural views with his usual dash, thoroughness and originality. In his works he shows the best quahues of the Dutch school with all its life-like expression, truthfulness and spirit combined with the des cacy of French sentiment and abandon. Hi; water colors, etchings and lithographs bear ad mirable witness to his versatility and vigorous industry. His pictures have always fetched a high price, or 1807> having bees sold for $60,000, a sum scarcely disproportionate to that given for smaller canvases. He is to be looked upon as the founder of the new school of military painters represented by his son Jean Charles Meissonier and Edouard De taille, his most illustrious pupil. Consult Clare tie, (Meissonier' (1881); Larroumet, vier) (1893).