SwissArtGallery · Documented identity
The French painter and illustrator Édouard Detaille made the depiction of modern warfare a major focus of his work, with the stated ambition of replacing its conventional image with one he wanted to be “true”. Born and died in Paris, in 1848 and 1912, he exhibited at the Salon twenty-six times between 1867 and 1912. Trained in Ernest Meissonier’s studio, he found there the subject for his first canvas, Un coin de l’atelier de M. Meissonier, presented in 1867; the following year, he exhibited his first military subject, La Halte des tambours.
In November 1870, during the war, he was attached to General Ducrot’s staff and took part in the fighting around Paris. With Alphonse de Neuville, he created two battle panoramas between 1880 and 1883: La Bataille de Champigny and Le Soir de Rezonville. In the 1890s, Napoleonic subjects took up an increasingly prominent place in his painting, particularly battle scenes and cavalry charges; to enhance their accuracy, he used period uniforms and accessories.
In England, he painted a review of the British troops by the Prince of Wales: the Prince bought the painting and presented it to Queen Victoria on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Works listed by the Art Institute of Chicago attest to the diversity of his subjects: A Mounted Officer, dated 1877, Mon Ancien Regiment, from 1881, and A Uhlan, with no date indicated. His studio collection has been held at the Musée de l’Armée in Paris since 1915.
This profile brings together identity references for Édouard Detaille and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.
3 references are documented at Dobiaschofsky, Piguet. Each record links to its source; the amounts are not a general valuation of the artist’s work.
Gouache
Sixième Régiment de chasseur à cheval
gouache
Catalogue period : 2024-05-21 — 2024-06-05
Published result : 4500 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 1000–1500
View the lot at the auction house ↗These references are shown separately because of their attribution or lot composition. Each record states the reason.
Gouache
Zugeschrieben - Attributed
gouache
Catalogue period : 2023-05-13
These references are shown separately because of their attribution or lot composition. Each record states the reason.
Published result : 600 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 750
View the lot at the auction house ↗
Oil on canvas
D’après Edouard Détaillé — Soldat
huile sur toile
d'après
Catalogue period : 2018-09-24
After
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
Estimate : CHF 300–500
View the lot at the auction house ↗SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
Documentation updated : 2026-10-19
