Delaroche, Paul (Hippolyte) (1797–1856)

French historical artist. His melodramatic, often sentimental, historical paintings achieved great contemporary popularity. An example is Lady Jane Grey 1833 (National Gallery, London).

Delaroche was born in Paris, and studied under the painter Baron Antoine-Jean Gros (1771–1835). With his friends Théodore Géricault and Eugène Delacroix, he was in the forefront of the Romantic revolt against the classicism of Jacques-Louis David. He devoted himself almost exclusively to highly finished historical costume paintings, his subjects,largely drawn from medieval and Renaissance history and the Bible, providing a diluted form of Romanticism that was very popular in his day. Joan of Arc and The Death of the Duc de Guise (Wallace Collection, London) are typical.