Paul Émile Léon Perboyre (1851-1929) , Cavalryman of the XII horse riding regiment, 1888

Oil, beveled oak board, 35 x 25 cm in light of double gold frame, 62 x 51 cm; signed.p.d. Brass plate with the author's name.Paul Émile Léon Perboyre was born in Horbourg , near Colmar in Alsace, on June 12, 1851 and died in Paris on March 31, 1929. He was born into a military family: his father commanded an artillery regiment. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he was a pupil of portraitist Léon Bonnat, and also studied with Tony Robert-Fleury, Francisco Domingo and Édouard Detaille. Perboyre began exhibiting at the Paris Salon between 1881 and 1914, receiving an honorable mention in 1908, and became a member of the Société des Artistes Français in 1909. Specializing in paintings with military themes, he depicted many scenes from the Napoleonic Wars, the Franco-Prussian War and World War I. He also exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery and the Institute of Fine Arts in Glasgow .His work, marked by naturalism and realism, is distinguished by his love of detail. He was also interested in genre painting, delicately depicting Parisian life in the early 20th century. His fame rests on the numerous battle scenes, especially Napoleonic, in which he specialized. With his classical but dynamic style, he managed to exaggerate patriotic feelings through the glory of the emperor. His works include depictions of battles, military overviews, as well as portraits of Napoleon and his marshals and generals.