Duke of Chartres, later King Louis-Philipp of France, wants to enter Hospice Saint Gotthard
Horace Vernet·1830
Historical Context
The Duke of Chartres at the Hospice of Saint Gotthard from 1830 shows the future King Louis-Philippe during his years as a liberal prince in exile, having spent part of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods in Switzerland and America. The hospice of Saint Gotthard, on the famous mountain pass between Switzerland and Italy, was a famous landmark of Alpine travel, and the scene of the Duke sheltering there connected him to the Romantic tradition of the Alpine journey as a formative experience. Such biographical paintings of the Orléans family contributed to the public image that made Louis-Philippe a sympathetic figure to French liberals before he became king in 1830. Vernet's fluid handling and documentary approach gave the Alpine scene both pictorial drama and biographical authenticity. The location of this painting is uncertain, but it represents Vernet's contribution to the image-making that surrounded the July Monarchy's accession to power.
Technical Analysis
The Alpine scene combines portrait with dramatic landscape. Vernet's handling of the mountain setting creates an image of princely adventure.
Look Closer
- ◆The Duke of Chartres's military party is shown at the famous alpine hospice in difficult mountain weather — a historical moment precisely documented.
- ◆Vernet renders mountain snow and mist with the atmospheric accuracy of someone who had crossed the Alps himself and understood the terrain.
- ◆The hospice monks receiving the royal party create a contrast between monastic austerity and aristocratic military entourage.
- ◆The Great St. Bernard Pass's dramatic alpine terrain is the real pictorial subject — the historical moment almost secondary to the landscape.
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