# Edouard Detaille artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/edouard-detaille/
Profile generated: 2026-05-07T04:07:17.413Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1848-10-05
- Death date: 1912-12-23
- Nationality: French
- Movements: Academic art, Military art
- Common media: Oil painting, Drawing

## About Edouard Detaille

Jean-Baptiste Édouard Detaille (1848–1912) was a French academic painter celebrated for his meticulously detailed military scenes and depictions of the French army. Born in Paris, he entered the studio of Ernest Meissonier around 1867 and quickly distinguished himself as one of the foremost painters of military life in the Third Republic. Detaille's work combined exacting draughtsmanship with thorough knowledge of uniforms, weaponry, and battlefield tactics, earning him a reputation as the semi-official artist of the French army. His paintings document the pageantry and hardship of military service from the Franco-Prussian War through the Belle Époque. Collectors encounter his work in museum collections, auction catalogs, and private estates, where his large-scale battle compositions and intimate military portraits remain sought after by specialists in nineteenth-century European painting.

## Common works and media

Detaille's most frequently encountered works include oil-on-canvas battle scenes and military genre paintings depicting French infantry, cavalry, and artillery units. He also produced portrait-style studies of individual soldiers in full dress uniform, preparatory drawings and watercolors, and illustrations for military publications. Some reproductive prints after his major compositions circulate in the print market. Works range from large multi-figure Salon canvases to smaller cabinet-size military studies.

## Market and appraisal context

Detaille's works appear at auction primarily as oil paintings, though drawings and preparatory studies also surface. Large-scale Salon-era battle scenes with strong provenance or exhibition history tend to attract the most competitive bidding. Condition, attribution, and documented provenance are critical valuation factors, as Detaille's circle and followers produced closely related military compositions. Collectors should verify signatures, compare figure style and uniform accuracy against accepted works, and confirm medium and dimensions before valuation.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine identity research from library authority files and museum databases with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot data when those records are available. For Édouard Detaille, biographical facts are drawn from RKD, VIAF, the Library of Congress, and Wikidata. Market observations are general and should be supplemented by specific auction results and professional appraisal for any individual work.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q724148
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89douard_Detaille
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/51712915/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n92096035
- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/22278