The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Cogniet, Leon

COGNIET, kōn-yā, Leon, French historical and portrait painter; b. Paris, 29 Aug. 1794; d. there, 20 Nov. 1880. He studied under Guerin, obtained the Grand Prix de Rome in 1817 and became a member of the Institute in 1849. His first picture of note was ‘Marius among the Ruins of Carthage’ (1824), now in the Museum of Toulouse. His other works include ‘the Massacre of the Innocents,’ and his masterpiece, ‘Tintoretto Painting the Portrait of His Dead Daughter’ (1845) in the Bordeaux Museum. Of his portraits may be mentioned the ‘Maréchal Maison,’ ‘Louis Philippe’ and ‘M. de Crillon.’ He decorated several ceilings in the Louvre and the Halle de Godiaque in the Hôtel de Ville, Paris, and a chapel in the church of Madeleine. At first he painted in classical style, but later adopted the methods of the Romanticists. His pictures are careful in composition but lack imagination and strength of color. Many famous artists of a later day were pupils in his studio.