Louis Lafitte was born in Paris, was a student of the painter Jean-Baptiste Regnault, won the Premier Prix de Rome for his composition on the theme Regulus Returns to Carthage. His time in Rome was disrupted by the revolt against the French and he fled to Florence. A few years later he returned to Paris. However, due to financial difficulties, he turned to drawing and decorating. In this capacity, he provided drawings for the Republican calendar. He was also a practitioner of paintings executed on oiled paper and then backlit. Louis Lafitte exhibits paintings such as Battle of Rivoli, Fireworks of December 16, 1804 on the occasion of the Coronation, Portrait of Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, a theme of Paul and Virginie, Mars and Venus. In addition, Lafitte provided the decoration for the temporary triumphal arch erected at the Etoile for the passage of Napoleon and Marie-Louise. In fact, the stone arch was only three meters high, and the workers were asked to build on top of it an arch of wood and canvas representing yellow marble, based on Chalgrin's model. Louis Lafitte made the painted trompe l'oeil bas-reliefs depicting the ornaments of Paris, legislation, national industry, the Emperor's grace and the arrival of the Empress. It is not known what Marie-Louise thought of the structure; as far as the Emperor was concerned, he was pleased. For the Senate, an allegory of the birth of the Roi de Rome. The Senate is represented by the figure Minerva, stood resting on the cradle of the king and below a she-wolf suckles Romulus and Remus. This watercolor was to serve as a model, executed and installed above the entrance to the Senate.
Louis Lafitte also created a design for a commemorative medal for this baptism. The magnificent medal was engraved by Andrieu at the Monnaie de Paris. On the obverse is a profile view of Napoleon's head crowned with laurels, and on the reverse is a depiction of the emperor in grand imperial garb. His forehead bears a laurel wreath standing before his throne holding his young son in his arms and below is the baptismal font. Louis Lafitte was one of the painters and sculptors who made models for the Manufacture of Sèvres. In particular, he drew the model for the vase entitled "The Triumph of the Reign of Louis XIV". Politically, Lafitte did not suffer during the reign, changing and working for Napoleon as well as for Louis XVIII and Charles X. He also restored the paintings in the church of the Hôtel des Invalides. In addition, he provided the designs for the decorations for a feast held at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris to celebrate the return of the Duke of Angoulême from Spain. He also made the models for the gold and silverware used at Charles X's coronation. His works can be seen in various French museums, such as Dijon and Poitiers. His drawings are in the museums of Montpellier, Angers and Pontoise.
Louis Lafitte was born in Paris, was a student of the painter Jean-Baptiste Regnault, won the Premier Prix de Rome for his composition on the theme Regulus Returns to Carthage. His time in Rome was disrupted by the revolt against the French and he fled to Florence. A few years later he returned to Paris. However, due to financial difficulties, he turned to drawing and decorating. In this capacity, he provided drawings for the Republican calendar. He was also a practitioner of paintings executed on oiled paper and then backlit. Louis Lafitte exhibits paintings such as Battle of Rivoli, Fireworks of December 16, 1804 on the occasion of the Coronation, Portrait of Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, a theme of Paul and Virginie, Mars and Venus. In addition, Lafitte provided the decoration for the temporary triumphal arch erected at the Etoile for the passage of Napoleon and Marie-Louise. In fact, the stone arch was only three meters high, and the workers were asked to build on top of it an arch of wood and canvas representing yellow marble, based on Chalgrin's model. Louis Lafitte made the painted trompe l'oeil bas-reliefs depicting the ornaments of Paris, legislation, national industry, the Emperor's grace and the arrival of the Empress. It is not known what Marie-Louise thought of the structure; as far as the Emperor was concerned, he was pleased. For the Senate, an allegory of the birth of the Roi de Rome. The Senate is represented by the figure Minerva, stood resting on the cradle of the king and below a she-wolf suckles Romulus and Remus. This watercolor was to serve as a model, executed and installed above the entrance to the Senate.
Louis Lafitte also created a design for a commemorative medal for this baptism. The magnificent medal was engraved by Andrieu at the Monnaie de Paris. On the obverse is a profile view of Napoleon's head crowned with laurels, and on the reverse is a depiction of the emperor in grand imperial garb. His forehead bears a laurel wreath standing before his throne holding his young son in his arms and below is the baptismal font. Louis Lafitte was one of the painters and sculptors who made models for the Manufacture of Sèvres. In particular, he drew the model for the vase entitled "The Triumph of the Reign of Louis XIV". Politically, Lafitte did not suffer during the reign, changing and working for Napoleon as well as for Louis XVIII and Charles X. He also restored the paintings in the church of the Hôtel des Invalides. In addition, he provided the designs for the decorations for a feast held at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris to celebrate the return of the Duke of Angoulême from Spain. He also made the models for the gold and silverware used at Charles X's coronation. His works can be seen in various French museums, such as Dijon and Poitiers. His drawings are in the museums of Montpellier, Angers and Pontoise.
Page 1 / 1