Gendarmes d'Ordonnance
A column of cavalry passes through a village street as residents look on, in Detaille's revival of Napoleonic-era uniforms. Full commentary ↓
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Gendarmes d'Ordonnance is an oil painting by Edouard Detaille (1894) in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It measures 55.9 × 42.2 cm.
In the pictureCavalrymen in green uniforms and plumed hats ride along a village street lined with red-roofed houses and a church bell tower. By a doorway on the left, a man and a woman in black, a child and a small dog stand watching the column, and the sky is blue with drifting clouds. The details of the horses and uniforms are painted carefully on a small canvas.
BackgroundThis unit, whose name could be rendered as "the king's own gendarmes," is said to have been a cavalry corps of young noblemen that existed briefly in the Napoleonic era. Detaille was famous for reconstructing old uniforms accurately, and his paintings were even used as references on military dress. Choosing a peaceful march over a battle fits with his fondness in the 1890s for painting everyday army life.
Puzzle tipIt divides into four zones: blue sky, red roofs, green uniforms, and the dirt road. Fit the horses' black bodies and the riders' light faces first, then set the top frame with the straight-edged pieces of the bell tower and roofs. 100 pieces is about right.
- Artist
- French, Paris 1848–1912 Paris
- Classification
- Paintings
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 55.9 x 42.2 cm
- Credit line
- Gift of Estate of George Albert Draper, 1948
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
In these collections: Animals in Masterpieces
Stories about this work
- Three Cavalry Pictures by Detaille, Who Collected Real Uniforms
Edouard Detaille painted while collecting real military uniforms. A record of uniforms in three works: on horseback, dismounted, and on a peaceful march.
