Isidore Pils

In 1832, after an initial training with Guillaume Lethière (1760-1832), Pils entered the École des Beaux-Arts where he studied under François-Édouard Picot (1786-1868), with whom he became close friends. As winner of the Prix de Rome in 1838, with Saint Peter Healing a Lame Man at the Gate of the Temple, Pils went to the Académie de France in Rome, then led by Ingres (q.v.), and stayed in Italy until 1844. Often in poor health, Pils nevertheless managed to travel around and study the artifacts from antiquity. But his works were generally harshly criticized until his return to France, where...