01 Orientalist Painting, Henri-Léopold Lévy's Phoenix, with footnotes, #108

Henri-Léopold Lévy, French, 1840-1904

Le phoenix

Oil on canvas 

28 ⅞ by 17 ½ in.; 73.3 by 44.5 cm

Private collection

In Ancient Greek folklore, a phoenix is a long-lived bird that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. Some legends say it dies in a show of flames and combustion, others that it simply dies and decomposes before being born again. Most accounts say that it lived for 500 years before rebirth. More on the Phoenix

Henri-Léopold Lévy (23 September 1840, Nancy - 29 December 1904, Paris) was a French painter of Jewish ancestry, known primarily for mythological and Biblical subjects.

His artistic education began at the École des beaux-arts de Paris. His first exhibit at the Salon came in 1865, where he displayed his portrayal of Hecuba. It brought him a first-class medal. Two years later, he received an award for his version of Jehoash of Judah. In 1869 he was given a prize for his "Hebrew Captive Weeping at the Ruins of Jerusalem". In 1872, after showing his portrait of Herodias, he was named a Chevalier in the Legion of Honor.

Despite being a Chevalier, his career suffered from the anti-Semitism that swept France after the Dreyfus Affair. He was, however, able to continue participating in the Salon until 1903. During this time, he took an extended trip to the Middle East with his friend, Fromentin, and produced several Orientalist works. He also served as a teacher. More on Henri-Léopold Lévy

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