Le prisonnier

1859

The 1859 Salon: “Ave Caesar” and “King Candaules”

Gérôme showed both Egyptian and ancient subjects: he himself thought “Ave Caesar” a failure and later admitted it was full of archaeological inaccuracies, while the erotic “King Candaules” made him popular with lovers of history and connoisseurs of the nude alike. Hoping to capitalise on the success, he petitioned for a professorship at the École des Beaux-Arts but never received a reply.

1861

“Phryne before the Areopagus” divides the critics

At the Salon of 1861 the canvas of the courtesan Phryne, whose beauty saved her from a charge of impiety, drew sharply opposed verdicts. Degas fumed in 1891 that Gérôme’s Phryne covers herself, while Stasov, otherwise sceptical of academicism, wrote in 1879 that the picture was a true work of art.

1861

Duel with the art dealer Stevens

In 1861 Gérôme fought a duel with the art dealer Stevens — according to R. Bonheur, over a woman; no experienced duellist, he got off with a light wound in the arm.

1861–1863

A year in Egypt, Syria and Palestine

Right after the duel Gérôme left France for a year-long journey through Egypt, Syria and Palestine, described in detail in his autobiography: for 17 days he crossed the Syrian desert and spent Easter in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. He returned to Paris in January 1863.

1863

Marries the daughter of the art dealer Goupil

In 1863 Gérôme married Marie Goupil (1842–1912), daughter of the international art dealer Adolphe Goupil; they had four daughters and a son. He moved to a house in rue de Bruxelles, close to the Folies Bergère, and enlarged it into a grand house with stables, a sculpture studio below and a painting studio on the top floor.

13 November 1863

Professor at the École des Beaux-Arts

An imperial decree of 13 November 1863 stripped the Academy of the right to run the École des Beaux-Arts: three new studios and three professorships were created, one of which went to Gérôme. Starting with sixteen students, he went on in 1864–1904 to give more than two thousand students at least part of their art education.