William James Müller

Fountainebleau: The Court of Honour

published 1841

Image released under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported)

License this image

Not on display

Artist
William James Müller 1812–1845
Medium
Watercolour on paper
Dimensions
Support: 297 × 432 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Presented by Lady Weston as part of the Sir Joseph Weston Gift 1908
Reference
N02361

Display caption

In the summer of 1840 Müller travelled in France, sketching the great sixteenth-century chateaux in preparation for a volume of lithographs, Müller’s Sketches of the Age of Francis 1st, published the following year. This shows the courtyard at the heart of Francis I’s favourite palace, Fontainbleau.

Such historical subjects had traditionally been the topic of dry written histories and dull antiquarian illustration. But in the early nineteenth century a market for popular history emerged. Vivid and romantic illustrations like this brought the ‘Olden Times’ to life. 

Gallery label, August 2004

Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? We would like to hear from you.

Explore

You might like

Left Right

In the shop

Browse the shop