Born at the end of Napoleon's reign, Eugène Ciceri spent his formative years in an extended family of painters. His father, Pierre Luc Charles Ciceri (1782-1868), painted grand decorative murals and stage sets, and served as the designer of official ceremonies following the Restoration of Louis XVIII in 1814. Young Ciceri learned the basics of his craft from his father, and subsequently from his great-uncle Jean-Baptiste Isabey (1767-1855) who enjoyed extensive patronage under Napoleon as well as the royalist rulers of the 1820s and 1830s. Isabey's son, also named Eugène, was only ten years older than his nephew Ciceri, and proved to be a lifelong artistic influence and friend.



Like many young ...