Quel est de ces mourants l'étonnement extrême... 1825

Horace Vernet created this print, likely in the first half of the 19th century, using etching and engraving. It depicts a scene of warfare, possibly set in the Middle Ages, with soldiers and onlookers populating a fortified town. Vernet came from a family of painters and made a name for himself depicting battles and military life, often glorifying the French army. France, still reeling from the Napoleonic Wars, was seeking to re-establish itself as a major European power. Vernet's art served a social function, boosting national pride and romanticizing military exploits, as a tool of propaganda. But the print also hints at the human cost of war, with the "étonnement extrême" of the dying questioning the glory of battle. To fully understand Vernet's place in French society, one might look at contemporary newspapers, military records, and the archives of the French Academy, the gatekeeper of artistic taste at the time. Ultimately, the image reminds us that art is never made in a vacuum; it reflects and shapes the society that produces it.