Pair French Franco-Prussian Historical Military War Propaganda Oil Paintings by Charles Louis Muller, 1870

A pair of incredibly rare, very large scale historical oil on canvas paintings, Franco-Prussian War, signed and dated 1870, by Charles Louis Lucien Müller (1815-1892).

    Academic artist Charles Louis Lucien Müller (also known as Müller de Paris), he was a highly decorated French Academician who studied under Baron Gros. He is celebrated for massive, emotionally charged historical scenes, famously executing frescoes for the Louvre Museum. 
This very large pair of paintings from the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, created as highly political wartime propaganda. 
    The first painting depicts a young woman, a French patriot partisan, she is dressed in the colors of 'Le Tricolore', symbolizing the red, white and blue of the French flag. She stands indignantly staring at the Prussian firing squad, the soldiers wearing their pickelhaube helmets, rifles pointed directly at the defiant French heroine. To the background there are frantic scenes of Prussian soldiers battling French patriots and buildings on fire.
    The second painting shows the heroine's husband; a handsome French soldier returning injured from the front, his arm in a sling, he stands in front of twisted iron, broken timber and masonry, while a village lady shows him the bullet holes from the firing squad. Both paintings are signed and dated "C. L. Muller 1870".
    A pair of documented paintings of this size are incredibly rare, housed in gilded gesso frames the paintings are in excellent condition, they have just received a light clean by a qualified and experienced conservator and are ready to hang. Highly important pairs of museum-scale works from Charles Louis Lucien Müller's late career are incredibly rare. Paintings of this considerable size were purposefully created for major exhibitions—most likely intended for the prestigious Paris Salon or as major commemorative statement pieces following the immediate outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War.

Artist Biography
Charles Louis Lucien Müller (1815–1892), often known as Müller de Paris, was a prominent French painter, portraitist, and decorator highly regarded for his large-scale historical scenes and sensitive portraits. Emerging during the mid-19th century, he established himself as a central figure in official French art circles, executing prominent civic commissions while gaining immense popularity among the Parisian bourgeoisie. Born in Paris, Müller studied at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts. He developed his academic technique as a pupil of renowned masters, including the celebrated Romantic painter Baron Gros and the historical painter Léon Cogniet. He began exhibiting regularly at the Salon of French Artists in 1834, maintaining a presence there until 1892.
Müller was a prolific artist who navigated historical painting, literary themes, and portraiture with equal skill. His absolute masterpiece is Calling Out the Last Victims of the Reign of Terror at the Prison of Saint-Lazare (1850). This massive work brought him widespread institutional renown. He frequently returned to dramatic history, creating acclaimed pieces like Vive l'Empereur (1855) and Marie Antoinette (1857).
Müller drew heavily from classic literature, painting memorable interpretations of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare's Desdemona (1868), and The Madness of King Lear (1875). He was also captured by the era's exoticism, producing highly sought-after Orientalist works and portraits.
Art historians note his exceptional talent for precise drawing and narrative composition, though critics occasionally deemed his coloring flat compared to pure Romantics.
Müller enjoyed considerable institutional power throughout his life. From 1850 to 1853, he served as the inspector of art works and director of the prestigious Gobelins tapestry manufactory. He was awarded the Legion of Honour in 1849 and elevated to the rank of Officer in 1859. In 1864, he was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts, succeeding Jean-Hippolyte Flandrin. His proximity to the state earned him major imperial commissions under Napoleon III, notably collaborating with architect Hector Lefuel to decorate the New Louvre. His monumental frescoes still exist today across the ceiling of the Salon Denon and the Salle des États. His works are housed in some of the most respected museums and galleries worldwide.

Imperial

48 inches high × 41.5 inches wide × 2.75 inches deep

Metric

high × wide x deep

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