Étude pour la seconde attaque de Constantin, le 13. octobre 1837

Study for the Second Attack of Constantine from 1843 at the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo documents the French siege and capture of the Algerian city of Constantine in October 1837, which Vernet had witnessed personally as an embedded artist accompanying the French expedition. These preparatory studies for his large battle paintings required extensive observation and documentation to achieve the documentary accuracy that was his primary artistic commitment. The capture of Constantine was a decisive moment in the French conquest of Algeria, making it a subject of major political importance for the July Monarchy that Vernet served. His studies, painted with the fluid assurance of his finished battle pieces, capture military action with the precision of a war correspondent who had actually been present. The National Museum in Oslo holds this among works acquired during the period when Scandinavian collectors were actively acquiring French Romantic paintings.

The study shows military action with characteristic precision. Vernet's handling captures the chaos of the assault with controlled compositional energy.