Ary Scheffer was born in Dordrecht, Netherlands, to a family of Huguenot refugees and spent much of his career in Paris, where he became a leading figure of... View More

Ary Scheffer was born in Dordrecht, Netherlands, to a family of Huguenot refugees and spent much of his career in Paris, where he became a leading figure of Romanticism. Trained under Jacques-Louis David, Scheffer exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1812 and quickly gained acclaim for his emotionally charged historical and literary scenes.

His paintings—such as Francesca da Rimini and The Young Charles IX—blend dramatic narrative, soft color harmonies, and poignant expressions, focusing on moral conflict and human suffering. Scheffer was also a respected teacher, counting among his pupils the young George Sand and Eugène Delacroix.

Beyond easel painting, he designed illustrations and contributed to the decoration of public buildings like the Palais Bourbon. Scheffer’s fusion of Northern precision and French lyricism influenced mid‑19th‑century taste and left a legacy of Romantic pathos in European art.