Hendrik Scheffer


Hendrik Scheffer was a Dutch painter in the Romantic tradition who lived in France for most of his life. In France he is usually known as Henri Scheffer.

Personal life

Scheffer was the younger brother of painter Ary Scheffer, son of Johann Baptist and Cornelia Scheffer and grandson of Arie Lamme. When his father died in 1809, his mother first moved to Brussels and in 1811 to Paris.
His daughter Cornélie married French philosopher Ernest Renan. Their son Ary Renan also became a painter.

Work

Scheffers, like his brother Ary, was a pupil of Pierre-Narcisse Guérin.
His work was much sought after in his lifetime. He mainly painted genre pieces and portraits which were finely crafted. His work was exhibited at the Salon from 1824 onwards and was heavily criticised by Charles Baudelaire and Théophile Gautier.
Scheffers best known work is probably a picture portraying the arrest of Charlotte Corday, some selected others:
Selected other works:
His work has been copied many times in engravings.
The Dordrechts Museum has a section dedicated to the work of the Scheffers.

Students

studied with him for a time.

Awards

He was made a Chevalier in the Legion of Honor on 8 August 1837.

Gallery