Bellangé’s principal claim to fame was as a painter of battle scenes, the majority of them set in the Napoleonic era. In 1816, while studying at Gros’ studio, he met Nicolas-Toussaint Charlet, and like him began to produce litographs. Bellangé’s series in this medium included military uniforms, humorous scenes of the Grande Armée, raw recruits and worn-out veterans: he also provided illustration for Béranger’s Songs. He made his debut at the Salon in 1822, where in later years he was awarded several medals. In 184 he was made a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, after having scored a major triumph at the salon with The Return from Elba (Amiens, Musée Picardie). E was elevated to the rank of Officier in 1861. He carried out major commissions for Louis-Philippe in the Galerie Historique at Versailles, and was curator of the Musée de Rouen from 1837 to 1854.
In 1848 Bellangé painted Returning from Town (Rouen, Musée des Beaux Arts) featuring country-folk similar to those in the present watercolor. He also exhibited another work with a comparable title at the Salon of 1840, so this kind of picturesque scene with a Breton or Norman setting must have formed a distinct if small category of his oeuvre. The present whereabouts of the 1840 painting are unknown, but in the Salon review Bellangé was praised for his skill in capturing the essence of the Norman countryside.
There is no way of telling whether this particular scene is set in Brittany or Normandy, so the description in the 1863 Fodor catalogue has been retained.
( Wiepke Loos)
