The Roux family of marine painters starts with  Joseph Roux (1725-1793),  who 
               took-over and developed a hydrographic business founded by his father in
               Marseilles which published and sold charts, navigation instruments and other 
               nautical gear.  He painted in oils under the name of Joseph Roux and the sale 
               of ship portraits was a side line of the shop.  Not many of his works remain.   

               Joseph had one son, Ange-Joseph Antoine (1765-1835), who followed in his                  
               father’s footsteps in the hydrographic business in Marseilles and who became a 
               prolific and successful water colourist.  With portraits of ships and other 
               Mediterranean craft,  and as a general  marine artist. The Peabody Essex Museum  
               has a collection of his ship portraits of American ships and a number of his 
               sketchbooks.  He painted under the name Antoine Roux.  He had three sons who            
               followed in the family business in Marseille and trained as painters.  He also had  
               a daughter Ursule who became a water colourist but few of her works remain.

               Mathieu-Antoine Roux (1799-1872), the first son, followed his father in working              
               on ship portraits in water colour. He signed his paintings Antoine Roux, fils (son).  
               He was not as prolific as his father or brothers.  He succeeded to the hydrographic 
               business of an uncle also in Marseilles.

               Francois Joseph Frederic (1805-1870), the second son, also followed his father as                        
               a water colourist in ship portraits.  He worked in Marseilles until 1827 when he          
               went to Paris to the atelier Vernet. About 1835, he settled in Havre and opened a 
               hydrographic shop.  In Paris, he came to the attention of Admiral Wiliaumez 
               who commissioned him to prepare a series of forty watercolours of ships in the 
               Admiral’s career.  The major part of this work was completed in 1827 and 1828. 
               Another series of twenty three watercolours dedicated to the Duke of Orleans was      
               completed in 1831.  His style changed several times over the years.  He signed his  
               paintings "Frederic Roux".  The Musee de la Marine in Paris has many of his works. 

               Francois Geoffroi Roux (1811-1882), the third son, who followed his father and 
               brothers in the family business, as a water colourist.and was probably the most 
               gifted painter of the Roux family. His paintings became more natural and less  
               stereotyped.  He succeeded his father in running the shop in Marseilles.  In 1860, 
               he relinquished the shop to his nephew Tonin (son of Antoine, fils) and lived 
               alternatively between Marseilles and Paris. In the period from 1860 to his death 
               in 1882, he acomplished much of his best work. In 1870, he was appointed as an 
               official 'Peintre de la Marine'.  In 1885, after his death, a posthumus "L'oeuvre 
               de Francois Roux: Representant Les Portraits des Navires de la Marine Francaise              
               de 1792 a nos Jours" was published with black and white photographs (plates)  
               by A. Liebert of  78 of Francois' paintings mainly of French Navy ships over             
               the period from 1792.  Some of thes plates are illustrated in an Addendum.

               What follows below is only a sample of the paintings of Antoine Snr and his
               three sons over a period spanning from the 1790s to the 1880s which apart            
               from the artistry are of interest to the marine historian of the development 
               of ships and Mediterranean sea and water-craft over that period.

                         Editions Office du Livre, 1990) -3 watercolours
                       - Alfred Dudszus & Ernest Henriot's "Dictionary of Ship Types" (Conway Maritime
                         Press,  English laguage edition, London 1886) -1 watercolour
                      
                      Addendum (to be completed)


                      CONTACT
                     
                      The author, ROY FERNANDEZ, can be cotacted by email at:-

                                roy@spurlingandrouxwatercolours.com  



                 By Antoine Roux, 1801 - Sella Aurora, a Greek polacre off Marseille
                 
                From "Dictionary of Ship Types"