Salon of 1799

The Salon of 1799 was French art exhibition held at the Louvre in Paris. Part of the then annual sequence of Salons, it took place during the French Directory a few months before the following Napoleon Bonaparte's Coup established him as dominant ruler. It was held at a time when the government was shifting towards a harder more Jacobin Republicanism due to the external threats against France.^[1]

Girodet Directing the Hanging of The New Danae in the Salon

Girodet, a former pupil of Jacques-Louis David, exhibited his Mademoiselle Lange as Venus. However the portrait of the celebrated theatre actress did not please her feel it reflected her beauty and she refused to pay him the full amount. In return he replaced the portrait at the Salon with a second painting, a mocking allegory Mademoiselle Lange as Danae.^{[2] [3]}The Return of Marcus Sextus by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin featured a neoclassical scene from the era of the Roman Republic. Guillaume Guillon-Lethière exhibited his The Fatherland in Danger, showing volunteers enlisting for military service, which was a popular success.^[4]

In portraiture François Gérard, another protégé of David, drew praise for his depiction of Laure Regnaud de Saint-Jean d'Angély.^[5] It was followed by the Salon of 1800, the first to be held under the dictatorship of Napoleon.

Gallery

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  Mademoiselle Lange as Venus by Girodet
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  Mademoiselle Lange as Danae by Girodet
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  The Return of Marcus Sextus by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin
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  The Fatherland in Danger by Guillaume Guillon-Lethière
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  Adèle Papin Playing the Harp by Guillaume Guillon-Lethière
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  Portrait of a Girl with Portfolio by Guillaume Guillon-Lethière
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  A Young Woman Leaning on the Edge of a Window by Marie-Victoire Lemoine
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  Portrait of Laure de Bonneuil by François Gérard
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  Portrait of Dublin-Tornelle by Adélaïde Labille-Guiard