Benouville first exhibited at the Salon in 1838, after studying under Picot, and he remained true to the academic tradition throughout his life. In 1845 he won the Prix de Rome. In 1852, after his return from Rome, he began submitting anecdotal history pieces and religious paintings to the Salons. He collaborated with Amaury Duval on the decoration of the church of Saint-Germaine-en-Laye.

This is a study for the prostrate figure in the right foreground of Les Martyrs, who is being shielded from the Roman soldier by a woman. The finished version is approximately six times larger but is otherwise unchanged, apart from the addition of a stick in the man’s left hand.
( Wiepke Loos)