Ary SCHEFFER (Dordrecht, 1795 - Argenteuil, 1858) Portrait of a man, 1816 Original canvas Signed and dated : "A Scheffer / 1816 64,5 x 54 cm (Old restorations) Born in Dordrecht, Ary Scheffer entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris where he joined Guérin's studio. He became friends with Géricault and made his debut at the Salon in 1812. It was the 1824 and 1827 Salons that established him in the eyes of the public as one of the principal figures of Romanticism. He was the drawing teacher of the children of the Duke of Orleans, the future Louis-Philippe, whose portrait he painted (Chantilly, Musée Condé). Under the July Monarchy, he became increasingly famous thanks to commissions from the royal family. From 1833 onwards, he participated in the creation of the Gallery of Battles in the historical museum of Versailles. As a well-known portraitist, he produced numerous effigies of politicians, such as Talleyrand or La Fayette, writers, such as Lamartine or Dickens, and musicians, such as Liszt or Chopin.