Léopold Robert

1794 Les Éplatures/La Chaux-de-Fonds – 1835 Venice

1794    May 13, born into an artisan family at Les Éplatures near La Chaux-de-Fonds (Canton Neuchâtel).

1804 School in Porrentruy.

1805 Birth of his brother Aurèle.

1808 Apprenticeship as grocer in Yverdon.

1809 Apprenticeship in a copper engraving workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

1810 In Paris as a trainee with copper engraver Charles-Samuel Girardet originally from Le Locle (Switzerland). In autumn begins studies in Paris at the Imperial Academy.

1812 As a pupil in the studio of Jacques Louis David begins to paint.

1814 Wins second prize in the „Grand Prix de Rome“ in copper engraving.

1816 Takes part again in the „Grand Prix de Rome“. But he has meanwhile lost his French citizenship (his home principality of Neuchâtel having been returned to Prussian rule by the Congress of Vienna in 1815) and thus he is barred from the competition.  Returns to La Chaux-de-Fonds and paints mainly portraits.

1818 The wealthy Neuchâtel patron Roulet de Mézerac enables Robert to spend time in Italy. In Rome he visits, among others, the studio of Ingres at the the „Académie de France“. He makes contact with former pupils of David, such as Victor Schnetz. He paints church interiors in the style of François Granet. To be able to repay his patron and to support his own family, Robert paints numerous small pictures with two to three figures, which sell well.

1820 He works for two months in the “Termini”and paints prisoners from robber clans. With these pictures of brigands he achieves his first artistic successes. 

1821 His Italian folk-costume scenes bring him “fame like a thunderbolt”, above all in diplomatic circles.

1822 His brother Aurèle joins Léopold in Rome, to assist his work.  First success at the Paris Salon: gold medal.

1823 Fire destroys the Church of San Paolo fuori le Mura. Both brothers paint the ruins.

1824 From now until his death, Léopold keeps up a fruitful correspondence with Marcotte d’Argenteuil, a high official in the French administration and lover of fine arts. At the Salon, the Duke of  Orléans buys from Léopold his Neapolitan Singer (L’Improvisateur napolitain).

1825 Visits the salon of Madame Récamier. Becomes a member of the Royal Academy Berlin. Travels to Naples. Suicide of his brother Alfred. Their mother and sister Adèle move to stay with Léopold in Rome for 18 months. Numerous international clients.

1827 Paris Salon: Girl from Procida gives a drink to a fisherman (Jeune fille de Procida donnant à boire à un pêcheur). The French State buys for its Musée du Luxembourg the Return from pilgrimage to the Madonna del Arco (Retour du pèlerinage de la Madone de l’Arc; now in the Louvre, Paris). 

1828 Acquaintance with the Duchess of Piacenza (brief amour with her daughter, offer of marriage). June: travels into the Pontine Marshes with his brother Aurèle. Death of their mother in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Léopold takes up contact with Chateaubriand.

1829 Second journey into the Pontine Marshes. Friendship with Prince Napoléon-Louis (brother of Napoléon III). Falls in love with the prince’s wife Charlotte Bonaparte (niece of Napoléon I.). Gives both of them lessons in drawing and copper engraving.

1830 July - October: travels to Frascati. Harvesters resting in the Pontine Marshes (La halte des moissonneurs dans les Marais Pontins, Louvre, Paris), which becomes widely distributed as an engraving.

1831 Leaves Rome and in Terni meets Prince Napoléon-Louis. After the prince’s death, Léopold goes to Florence and there meets the now widowed Princess Charlotte Bonaparte. Triumph at Paris Salon: King Louis-Philippe makes him a Knight of the Legion of Honour. Stays a while in La Chaux-de-Fonds, but from December is again in Florence. From now on he is shunned by Charlotte Bonaparte.

1832 In  summer Léopold moves to Venice, in order to put an end to his unhappy relationship with Charlotte Bonaparte. Difficult creation of  the fourth of his large compositions about the seasons, The Winter:  The Adriatic fishermen setting out to fish the high seas (Le départ des pêcheurs de l’Adriatique pour la pêche au long cours, Musée d’art et d’histoire, Neuchâtel). December: Aurèle joins him in Venice.

1835 March 20: Léopold suffers from severe depression and takes his own life.