Louis Hersent

The son of Romain-Théodore Hersent, a silversmith, Louis Hersent was sent to learn the art of painting in the studio of Jean-Baptiste Regnault (1754-1829). He achieved second place for the Prix de Rome in 1797 but became seriously ill the following year and was forced to withdraw from the studio. He then briefly ventured into business but soon returned to art. A cousin of Hersent, Pierre Crouzet, worked as director of the military academy at Compiègne. Through this connection Hersent became a drawing instructor to its students in 1800. Crouzet transferred to Saint-Cyr the following year,...