Prix de Rome

Introduction:
During the study at the École des Beaux-Arts there were several concours / exams held. The most important of them was the Prix de Rome. This gave the winner a bourse for a study at the Villa Medici in Rome and favourable prospects for the further career as an artist. On this page you will find (in the future) some general info on the Prix de Rome and examples of price winning paintings.

Prix de Rome:
The most important concours was the Prix du Rome, also called the grand prix de l’Académie Royale (especially for history painting). The winner received a bourse to study 5 years at the Académie the France in the Villa Medici in Rome (R3,p660;iR3). After completing this additional study one could become a professor at the École (R3,p18).
This concours of the Prix de Rome was held since 1664 (R88II,p197) or 1663 (iR23). During the French revolution the Prix de Rome was first abolished in 1793 and re-established in 1797 (iR3). Since 1863/11/13 the Prix de Rome for historical landscape stopped, after it started in 1817 (R59,p183;R60,p97+116;R5,p26;R3,p660;R290,p11+20) and the age to partake went from 30 to 25 years, something Sisley and others objected to (R88I,p882; note Sisley still was 24 by then). The Prix de Rome was cancelled in 1968 (iR23).
1864/04/05 Renoir did an examination (for the Prix de Rome concours) for draughtsmen and sculptors, he became 10th out of 106 (R31,p295;R88II,p1012). From 1874 till 1877 the Prix de Rome went to a pupil of Cabanel (R88II,p398).

Ingres (1780-1867): 1801, Achilles Receiving the Envoys of Agamemnon, 110x155, MENSBA Paris (iR2;iR23;M9) =Prix de Rome 1801 — Ingres (1780-1867): 1801, Achilles Receiving the Envoys of Agamemnon, 110×155, MENSBA Paris (iR2;iR23;M9) =Prix de Rome 1801

Pils (Isidore; 1813-1875): 1838, Saint Peter healing a lame man at the Temple Gate (detail), 146x114, ENSBA Paris (iR2;iR10;iR64;iR23;iR1;M9) = Prix de Rome award 1838. — Pils (Isidore; 1813-1875): 1838, Saint Peter healing a lame man at the Temple Gate (detail), 146×114, ENSBA Paris (iR2;iR10;iR64;iR23;iR1;M9) = Prix de Rome award 1838.

Bouguereau (William-Adolphe; 1825-1905): 1850, Zenobia Found by Shepherds on the Banks of the Araxes, 148x118, MENSBA Paris = Prix de Rome for history painting in 1850 (iR2;iR3;iR23;M9) — Bouguereau (William-Adolphe; 1825-1905): 1850, Zenobia Found by Shepherds on the Banks of the Araxes, 148×118, MENSBA Paris = Prix de Rome for history painting in 1850 (iR2;iR3;iR23;M9)

Ingres (1780-1867): 1806-20, La Villa Médicis in Rome, dr, 29x23, MI Montauban (iR23;M197). Note: from 1835 till 1841 Ingres was director of the French Academy in Rome — Ingres (1780-1867): 1806-20, La Villa Médicis in Rome, dr, 29×23, MI Montauban (iR23;M197). Note: from 1835 till 1841 Ingres was director of the French Academy in Rome

General sources:
My main sources are Walther (2013=R3), Denvir (R5), Raeburn (1985=R31), Wildenstein (1996=R22I), Adams (1994=R59), Monneret (1978-81=R88), Pissarro & Durand-Ruel (2005=R116I), the Exposition Universelles catalogues (R231), the Salon database (iR1), WikiPedia (iR3-5), Joconde (iR23). See the link for other general References (=Rx) and to the internet references (=iRx). See links for practical hints and abbreviations and for the subscription of the paintings.

Additional sources (=aRx):

WikiPedia//École des Beaux-Arts (page on WikiPedia = iR3)
jssgallery.org//École des Beaux-Arts (page on jss gallery =iR359)
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Citation: Please do not quote from this webpage, which is under construction. The information is incomplete and maybe partly incorrect.