Oil on canvas
Image size 32 x 42 inches (81 x 106.5 cm)
Handmade gilt frame
Alfred De Dreux was a French painter best known for his lifelike portraiture and lively equestrian scenes.
Born Pierre-Alfred Dedreux on 23 March 1810 in Paris, the painter and engraver was first taught by Theodore Gericault, a close friend of the family. De Dreux rendered his stately artworks in a Romantic style, employing soft colours, dramatic lighting, and exquisite detail to capture a palpable sense of presence of his subjects. He began to exhibit in 1831 at the Paris Salon, and later painted both Napoleon III and the English aristocracy while a member of Louis Gabriel Eugene Isabey’s atelier.
De Dreux is reported to have died on March 5, 1860 in Paris, France from complications due to a liver abscess, through it was rumoured that he had been killed in a duel over a disputed commission.