DENON, dm BAN' DOMINIQUE VIVANT, Baron 1747 m. A French artist and author, born at (halm l•-• At an early period he de etemI himself to the study of line arts in t".. a MI a great favorite in aristocratic im ty. 'amok XV, made him an attaeliml to the at St. Petersburg. and afterwards Am bassador to Switzerland. Here he repeatedly \ kit NI Voltaire at Verney. and painted his por trait and the w•l•hnown de Verney." During his s•\ ? ears' stay with the French embassy in Naples. he resolved to devote him 1., If ill art c,eltt-iiely. more I Ty to elt graniug un em pp•r. In conjunction with the Saint•Non, he published the Voyage pit tOITS(Ille dr utile et do Si ( 1788). Ile returtmetl to France during the Revolution. Having formed the acquaintance of Bonaparte. lie was ehosen by hint It aecompany time expedition to Egypt, in the eapacity of a -avant, and was indetatigable in drawing the relies of ancient Egyptian art. lit 1802 he published his 1 oyag, dans la. Itassa ct lei (taut," 1:ggpt( . the attached to which are very correct, and prove Denon to have been a skillful artist. As a member of the Egyp
tian Institution, he had also an inipmirtant part in its /h•eription de rEggpfe. Natmoleon now made him of museum-, in which Cap:Wily he showed great ability. plc accom panied the Emperor 011 various subsequent expe ditions, and suggested to him what art treasures of the conquered cities would lie most stilt able for the Louvre. After 1815 he was dismissed front his office. The remaining years of his life were occupied in preparing for publication a history of art, to be illustrated by the best art ists, but he did not list to it. The work, however. was com plet•d by _\inattry Duval, and published in 1820, under the title _I/comments des arts do dessin chez /es peoples taut a ncirns yue modernes. Denon himself executed :tore than 300 etchings, chiefly imitations of the style of Rembrandt. Consult La Vizeliire, L'crorrc originate de I iron( Devon (Paris, 1872-73).