Who painted The Death of the Duke of Berry?

The Death of the Duke of Berry was painted by Alexandre Menjaud in 1822.

Where can I see The Death of the Duke of Berry?

The Death of the Duke of Berry is held by Palace of Versailles.

What movement is The Death of the Duke of Berry?

The Death of the Duke of Berry is associated with French Romanticism.

Can I buy a print of The Death of the Duke of Berry?

Museum-quality prints of The Death of the Duke of Berry are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

The Death of the Duke of Berry

Alexandre Menjaud , 1822

The Death of the Duke of Berry is an oil painting by the French Romanticist artist Alexandre Menjaud. It dates from 1822 and is held in the collection of the Palace of Versailles.

About this work

Overview

Alexandre Menjaud’s 1824 oil painting, titled *The Death of the Duke of Berry*, records the final hours of Charles‑Ferdinand, Duke of Berry, who succumbed to a stab wound inflicted on 13 February 1820. The work presents the wounded duke surrounded by members of the royal family and court, capturing the somber atmosphere that followed the assassination at the Théâtre National.

Subject & Meaning

The composition concentrates on the duke’s bedside, where his wife, Marie‑Caroline, cradles their infant daughter while a grieving relative clasps the duke’s hand. Menjaud includes the king, Louis XVIII, the duke’s father the Count of Artois, his brother the Duke of Angoulême, and other prominent nobles, underscoring the political shock and personal loss felt by the Restoration elite.

Technique & Style

Rendered in a Neoclassical manner, the painting employs strong chiaroscuro to heighten drama: a darkened background frames a pool of light on the duke’s pallid form and the faces of his mourners. The careful modeling of flesh and the orderly arrangement of figures echo the heroic death scenes popular in early‑19th‑century French academic art.

Context

The duke’s murder by the Bonapartist assassin Louis‑Pierre Louvel sparked a reaction that strengthened the Ultra‑royalist faction at court. Although the duke had asked his uncle for clemency for the killer, the assassin was later guillotined. The event also preceded the birth of the duke’s posthumous son, Henri, in September 1820, a development that temporarily reassured the Bourbon succession.

History & Provenance

Created shortly after the incident, the painting entered the collection of the French state during the Restoration period. It has remained in public holdings, serving as a visual record of a pivotal moment in the early 1820s French political landscape.