Cuirassier with Drawn Sword, Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier, Modeled c. 1875, cast after 1891

Jean-Louis-Ernest MeissonierFrench, 1815–1891

Cuirassier with Drawn Sword

Modeled c. 1875, cast after 1891 · Sculpture

Can I see it?

Not on view at present

Where is “Cuirassier with Drawn Sword” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.

Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.

Checked: 13 days ago
In this state since: Aug 19, 2026
Source: The museum

On the map Museum page

About the sculpture

Ernest Meissonier was best known for his exquisitely rendered genre scenes, which drew inspiration from the Dutch masters and were praised for their “microscopic” perfection. But he was also a serious student of military subjects, creating a series of canvases on major episodes in the life of Napoleon I. For his battle scenes, Meissonier fashioned wax sculptures of horses and military figures, such as this cavalryman (known as a cuirassier), which served as a study for the painting 1807, Friedland (exhibited in the Salon of 1875). First shown to the public in 1891, Meissonier’s waxes were later cast in bronze to preserve the artist’s conception.

Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0

Details

Accession number: 1988.36.11

What it shows

Soldiers Helmet Armor Sword Weapons Animal Horse

In the catalog

Sculpture Bronze Realism Impressionism 19th century France

Sources

Art Institute of Chicago
Image: Art Institute of Chicago — CC0

In the life of Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier

The whole life

1878
Sixteen pictures at the great exhibition of 1878
For the great exhibition of 1878 he sends sixteen pictures, among them the portrait of Alexandre Dumas fils (seen at the Salon of 1877), Cuirassiers of 1805 and Moreau and his Staff before Hohenlinden. From then on Meissonier exhibits less in the Salons and sends his work to smaller exhibitions.
1878–1879
Post: Mayor of Poissy
24 May 1884
A retrospective at the Petit Gallery: 146 works
An exhibition of Meissonier’s collected works, 146 in all, opens at the Petit Gallery.
1889
President of the painting jury at the exhibition of 1889
As president of the jury on painting, he also contributes some new pictures to the exhibition.
1890
“1807” at the New Salon
Having become president of the newly formed New Salon, the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, he exhibits there his 1807, which took ten years to execute.
31 January 1891
Died