519 - Emile DELAREUELLE (active in the first half of the 19th century)

Emile DELAREUELLE (active in the first half of the 19th century) Portrait of Turgot Advocating the Abolition of Corvée Labor Oil on canvas Signed and dated 1834 at the bottom Frame Approximately 146.5 x 113 cm (Cracks, areas of missing paint—particularly around the edges—and stains. Restored and re-stretched. Sold as is) Our painting is a portrait of Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot (1727–1781), Controller-General of Finances under Louis XVI, advocating for the abolition of corvée. Under the Ancien Régime, the royal corvée required peasants to provide several days of free labor each year for the construction and maintenance of royal roads and paths. Turgot considered this obligation unfair, since it fell primarily on rural populations, while privileged landowners were largely exempt from it. In February 1776, he secured an edict from Louis XVI abolishing the royal corvée and providing for its replacement with a financial contribution based on land ownership. The minister’s dismissal in May 1776 effectively called his achievements into question. It was not until the Revolution that the corvée was definitively abolished. --- Cabinet Artéon, Appraisals of Old Master Paintings and Drawings --- Must be removed by November 18, 2026