The Monkey Painter, 1833 by Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps

Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps (March 3, 1803 – August 22, 1860) was a French painter.

He was born in Paris. In his youth he travelled in the East, and reproduced Oriental life and scenery with a bold fidelity to nature that puzzled conventional critics.

His powers, however, soon came to be recognized, and he was ranked along with Delacroix and Vernet as one of the leaders of the French school.

At the Paris Exhibition of 1855 he received the grand or council medal.

Most of his life was passed in the neighborhood of Paris. He was fond of animals, especially dogs, and indulged in all kinds of field sports. He died in 1860 in consequence of being thrown from a horse while hunting at Fontainebleau.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre-Gabriel_Decamps

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