By his contemporary Meissonier there are several paintings at Chantilly; the most important being Les Cuirassiers de 1805 avant le Combat. The moment is just before a projected attack; and the look of strained expectation upon the faces of the combatants is admirably expressed. Napoleon, surrounded by his staff, is easily recognised; and in the varying expressions of the long line of horsemen we perceive looks of determination to win or die. The reproach made by Mauclair to Meissonier that his style suffered from lack of originality and was copied from Dutch artists, if sometimes well founded, may at any rate be questioned by this picture. His La Vedette des Dragons sous Louis XV, though small in dimensions, is another important historical picture, whilst Les Amateurs des Tableaux recalls a similar composition in the Wallace Collection.
Plate LXXVI.
Photo. Giraudon.
ARAB CHIEFS HAWKING IN THE DESERT.
Musée Condé.
Eugène Fromentin.