Le denier de Saint Pierre

1847–1848

A gold medal, and the state buys “The Romans”

“The Romans of the Decadence” is awarded a first-class gold medal, and the state buys the picture for 12,000 francs. From 1848 it is shown in the collection of the Luxembourg Museum, and later it is transferred to the collection of the Musée d’Orsay.

January 1850

Manet becomes his pupil

From January 1850 Couture teaches Édouard Manet for more than six years. In the end Manet broke with his teacher and with academism and became one of the founders of Impressionism.

1855

The 1855 World’s Fair: “The Falconer” misses the top award

At the 1855 World’s Fair Couture shows the picture “The Falconer”, but it does not win the highest award, which he regards as a major setback. As a result he renounces the first-class medal awarded to him for this picture and for “The Romans of the Decadence”.

1860

Leaves Paris for his native Senlis

Upset by the unfavourable reception of his murals, Couture leaves Paris in 1860 and for a time returns to his hometown of Senlis, where he goes on teaching the young artists who come to him.

1863

Forced to close his atelier

In 1863 Couture is forced to close his atelier, among other reasons because a year earlier many of his pupils had gone over to Courbet.

1869

Moves to Villiers-le-Bel

In 1869 Couture moves to Villiers-le-Bel. According to the critic Albert Wolff, he lives there in a seclusion which, thanks to the complete indifference of his contemporaries, turns him into a man buried alive.