Adrien DauzatsFrench, 1804–1868Les Portes de Fer
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Les Portes de Fer” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
On 28 October 1839 Dauzats accompanied a division of the French army, consisting of 3,000 men, through the smaller of the two gorges, known as the Portes de Fer (Gates of Iron), which cut through the Jurjura mountains in Kabylie, Algeria. Their journey from Setif to Algiers was part of a wider French operation, led by the due d'Orleans, to establish political and military hegemony in Algeria.
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Dauzats's composition makes full use of the dramatic potential of the scenery. The dark rock walls of the defile fill the picture space almost entirely, towering over the tiny figures of the soldiers, and creating a feeling of claustrophobia. The favourite romantic theme of the insignificance of man in the face of the mighty forces of nature is a recurrent one in Dauzats's work. He painted several views of the Portes de Fer in both oil and watercolour, including five that were reproduced for the Journal de l'Expedition des Partes de Fer (1841), compiled by the poet Charles Nodier. Powerful and atmospheric compositions such as these have established a significant place for Dauzats in the history of French Orientalism.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- SD.301
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
