Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 50 works by Alfred Philippe Roll in our catalogue
In short
Of all the originals Alfred Philippe Roll left, the most famous is Portrait de Mme Roll. Close behind it come Retour du bal and The feast of Silenus (1871). Our catalog holds 50 works by Alfred Philippe Roll; the gallery has kept the 50 the world admires most, each shown with its date, its museum and its story.
The portrait depicts a woman, identified as Madame Roll, positioned in a vertical orientation. She is situated slightly off-center within a domestic interior, appearing to stand near a window. The figure is rendered with a muted color palette, primarily composed of blacks, grays, and browns. Subtle ochre and muted red tones appear in the highlights and the background. Her attire is formal, and her expression remains serene with a slight…
The air in the room feels heavy with the scent of perfume and the soft rustle of silk as two women move through an opulent interior. We watch them from behind, catching only the graceful curve of their backs and the sweeping lines of their attire. They are poised, perhaps caught in a moment of transition between the excitement of a social gathering and the quietude of their private quarters.…
The feast of Silenus emerges from the brush of Alfred Philippe Roll, a painter whose life spanned the transformative decades of the late nineteenth century. Born in the former 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, in 1845, Roll carries the weight of a changing era within his lineage. He remains a figure of the French tradition, having departed this world in 1919. This specific work, The feast of Silenus, captures a…
In this 1880 oil on canvas, we find ourselves standing at eye-level with a solitary woman, a street vendor whose presence commands a quiet, stoic dignity. She is positioned slightly off-center, a choice that lends a sense of naturalism to the vertical composition. There is a certain weight to her figure, anchored by the heavy folds of her skirt and the rounded, organic form of the basket she carries. The…
The canvas depicts a dense, wide-angle view of a Parisian square during a large-scale public celebration. In the center of the composition, a monument rises toward a sky filled with fluttering flags. The scene is populated by a vast, diverse crowd of figures that extend from the immediate foreground into the distance. These people are rendered with varied postures, some standing in groups and others moving through the space. The…
The portrait emerges from a period of transition in French art, moving away from the rigid constraints of academic tradition toward a more grounded, empathetic realism. The visible layering of paint suggests a preoccupation with the authentic human form rather than an idealized version of it. There is a palpable sense of the man's internal life, a quiet intensity that lingers in the way the light interacts with his features.…
The air feels heavy and still within this shadowed woodland, where the light filters through a dense canopy in soft, dappled patches. A nude woman rests in an intimate, quiet moment, her pale skin glowing against the deep, earthy tones of the surrounding meadow. Beside her, the muscular form of a bull emerges from the darkness, its presence a powerful counterpoint to her vulnerability. There is a profound sense of…
In the work Alsatian and Lorrainer by Alfred Philippe Roll, the composition is structured as a tight, intimate close-up of two female figures. The primary subject is positioned in the foreground, presented in a sharp profile facing toward the left side of the frame. Behind her, a second woman is partially visible, also oriented toward the left. This overlapping arrangement creates a sense of depth within the narrow field of…
In this intimate oil on canvas, Alfred Philippe Roll presents Portrait of Thaulow and His Wife. Painted about 1890, the work captures a quiet moment between a man and a woman. The subjects are likely the artist's acquaintances, Thaulow and his wife, rendered with a sense of naturalism that suggests a close proximity to the figures. There is a palpable sense of companionship in the way they are positioned together.
The portrait presents a woman seated centrally within a luxurious interior. She is positioned in a vertical orientation, wearing a sleeveless black gown that features shimmering, light-colored patterns suggestive of sequins or embroidery. A large, dark, textured element, resembling a fur mantle or heavy drapery, surrounds the upper portion of her chair. Her skin is rendered with smooth, luminous textures, and her reddish-brown hair is styled softly around her face.…
André Manaut1890 · Municipal museum (Saverne)
12
Au trot1888 · Municipal museum (Saverne)
13
Adolphe Alphand1888 · Petit Palais
14
Centenary of the Estates General at the Neptune Basin (May 3, 1889)1889
15
Exodus1893 · Petit Palais
16
Louise Cattel, wet nurse1894 · Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille
17
Alexandre Dumas fils1895 · Musee des Beaux-Arts
18
Roll Painting1900 · Petit Palais
19
Portrait de Mme Henriette Roll1900 · Municipal museum (Saverne)
20
Nu couché1900 · Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg
21
In Summer, Woman with Dog1909 · Petit Palais
22
Sketch for the Petit Palais, south gallery: Apotheosis (central ceiling)1909 · Petit Palais
23
Sketch for the Petit Palais, south gallery: Poetry - Drama1910 · Petit Palais
24
Sketch for the Petit Palais, south gallery: Fantastic Music1911 · Petit Palais
25
Sketch for the South Gallery of the Petit Palais: Apotheosis (central ceiling)1913 · Petit Palais
26
The Big Bed1912 · Municipal museum (Saverne)
27
Bourgeoisie1913 · Municipal museum (Saverne)
28
Portrait of Miss Amélie Diéterle, in 1913. Title : In June, Amélie Diéterle.1913 · Petit Palais
29
The Tea Cup1918 · Municipal museum (Saverne)
30
CHEMIN SOUS BOIS
31
July 14, 1880, Inauguration of the Monument to the Republic1881 · Petit Palais
32
Esquisse pour La fête nationale du 14 juillet 18801881 · Municipal museum (Saverne)
33
Sketch for the Hôtel de Ville de Paris: Art, Movement, Work, Lights1897 · Petit Palais
34
The Vigil under the Arc de Triomphe1903 · Musée Victor Hugo
35
The Wave1911 · Petit Palais
36
Sketch for the Petit Palais, south gallery: Fantastic Music1911 · Petit Palais
37
Peder Severin Kröyer (1851-1909)Nationalmuseum
38
Female nude sitting
39
Petite République1907 · Municipal museum (Saverne)
40
La grève de mineurs
41
Portrait de Léon Bourgeois
42
PORTRAIT DE JEUNE FILLE
43
Portrait de jeune femme
44
L'Exécution d'un trompette sous la CommuneCarnavalet Museum
45
Les baigneuses Panneau décoratif (Ancien titre)
46
BathersMusée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon
47
Chevaux à l'écurie
48
Manda Lamétrie, fermière1887 · Musée d'Orsay
49
The Young Republic1908 · Musée d'Orsay
50
The Striker's WifeMusee Baron Martin
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Alfred Philippe Roll | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Petit Palais |
Paris | 16 | July 14, 1880, Inauguration of the Monument to the République, Portrait of Thaulow and His Wife, Portrait of Jane Hading |
 Municipal museum (Saverne) |
Saverne | 8 | André Manaut, Au trot, Portrait de Mme Henriette Roll |
 Carnavalet Museum |
Paris | 2 | Henri Rochefort (Victor-Henri, marquis de Rochefort-Luçay, 1831-1913), journalist, politician and writer, L'Exécution d'un trompette sous la Commune |
 Musée d'Orsay |
Paris | 2 | Manda Lamétrie, fermière, The Young Republic |
 Musée d'Arts de Nantes |
Nantes | 1 | Retour du bal |
 Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK) |
Ghent | 1 | The feast of Silenus |
 Musée des Beaux-Arts de Pau |
Pau | 1 | Marianne Orfrey, Green Crier |
 National Museum of Fine Arts |
Buenos Aires | 1 | Woman and bull |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
The feast of Silenus emerges from the brush of Alfred Philippe Roll, a painter whose life spanned the transformative decades of the late nineteenth century. Born in the former 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, in 1845, Roll carries the weight of a changing era within his lineage. He remains a figure of the French tradition, having departed this world in 1919. This specific work, The feast of Silenus, captures a…
In this 1880 oil on canvas, we find ourselves standing at eye-level with a solitary woman, a street vendor whose presence commands a quiet, stoic dignity. She is positioned slightly off-center, a choice that lends a sense of naturalism to the vertical composition. There is a certain weight to her figure, anchored by the heavy folds of her skirt and the rounded, organic form of the basket she carries. The…
In the work Alsatian and Lorrainer by Alfred Philippe Roll, the composition is structured as a tight, intimate close-up of two female figures. The primary subject is positioned in the foreground, presented in a sharp profile facing toward the left side of the frame. Behind her, a second woman is partially visible, also oriented toward the left. This overlapping arrangement creates a sense of depth within the narrow field of…
Roll Painting by Alfred Philippe Roll presents a close-up profile of an older man. The composition is tightly cropped, focusing the viewer's attention on the subject's head and upper torso. Positioned diagonally across the frame, the figure occupies the space with a sense of immediacy. The man possesses white hair and a beard that appears bright white against the surrounding tones. Light descends from above, illuminating the forehead and the…
A pale orb, like a moon caught in a slow drift, anchors a swirling expanse of blue. Around this light, human forms dissolve into the atmosphere, their limbs stretching through a haze of cerulean and navy. The figures do not stand; they float, caught in a rhythmic, tidal movement that suggests the weightless drift of clouds. Soft purples and muted ochres bleed into the shadows, creating a landscape that feels…
Portrait de Mme Roll. Retour du bal and The feast of Silenus (1871) come next.
Portrait de Mme Roll, Retour du bal, The feast of Silenus, Marianne Orfrey, Green Crier, July 14, 1880, Inauguration of the Monument to the République, Henri Rochefort (Victor-Henri, marquis de Rochefort-Luçay, 1831-1913), journalist, politician and writer, Woman and bull, Alsatian and Lorrainer, Portrait of Thaulow and His Wife and Portrait of Jane Hading. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 50 works by Alfred Philippe Roll, dated from 1871 to 1918.
Mostly in Petit Palais (Paris), Municipal museum (Saverne) (Saverne) and Carnavalet Museum (Paris). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1880s: 9 of the 50 works on this page were made then, Marianne Orfrey, Green Crier among them.
On this page, the earliest is The feast of Silenus (1871) and the latest The Tea Cup (1918).
Woman (19), Man (8) and Skin tones (5), across the 50 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, for 17 of the 50 works on this page.
July 14, 1880, Inauguration of the Monument to the République, Portrait of Thaulow and His Wife and Portrait of Jane Hading: the Petit Palais, Paris holds 16 of the works on this page.
In the vibrant, shifting landscape of late 19th-century France, few artists captured the pulse of a changing nation as poignantly as Alfred Philippe Roll. Born in Paris in 1846, Roll emerged from the prestigious halls of the École des Beaux-Arts, a student shaped by the rigorous academic traditions of masters such as Jean-Léon Gérôme, Léon Bonnat, and Charles-François Daubigny. His early years were marked by a romantic sensibility, a stylistic period where his canvases breathed with the grandeur and picturesque charm characteristic of the era. During this formative stage, his work often echoed the sweeping emotionality of the Bolognese tradition and the burgeoning realism of Gustave Courbet, creating a delicate tension between classical beauty and raw observation.
The trajectory of Roll’s career was irrevocably altered by the turbulent winds of history. The Franco-Prussian War, which saw him serving as a lieutenant of militia, infused his perspective with a profound understanding of human resilience and societal upheaval. This period of conflict acted as a crucible, refining his gaze from the purely romantic toward a more grounded, empathetic realism. His 1s75 masterpiece, The Flood at Toulouse, stands as a haunting testament to this transition; by capturing the immediate suffering and the fragility of life during a natural disaster, he moved beyond mere decoration to engage with the collective psyche of the French people. This work, which now resides in the Musée Malraux, signaled his arrival as an artist capable of profound visual storytelling.
As the decades progressed, Roll’s brushwork began to shed its romanticized edges, embracing instead the grit and truth of the Naturalist movement. He became a painter of the people, turning his attention toward the socio-political dynamics of the Third Republic. This evolution was not merely stylistic but deeply ideological. He sought to document the authentic human experience, particularly the struggles and triumphs of the working class. His landmark painting, Miners’ Strike (1880), remains one of his most significant achievements, catapulting him into the upper echelons of the French art world. In this work, he did not merely depict labor unrest; he humanized the struggle, imbuing the figures with a dignity that resonated far beyond the gallery walls.
This commitment to social realism allowed Roll to navigate the complexities of his era with remarkable dexterity. His repertoire expanded to include:
His ability to blend the technical precision learned from his academic mentors with a progressive, almost documentary-like approach to subject matter made him a vital voice in French art. He was not just an observer of life but a chronicler of its most pressing transformations.
Alfred Philippe Roll’s legacy is defined by his role as a bridge between the old world of academic tradition and the new world of social engagement. As a co-founder of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, he played a crucial part in reshaping the institutional landscape of French art, advocating for a space where diverse styles could coexist. His work remains a vital historical record, capturing the essence of a France caught between the echoes of romanticism and the stark realities of industrialization and social reform.
Through his mastery of light, texture, and composition, Roll ensured that the struggles and the beauty of everyday life were immortalized. Whether through the sweeping vistas of the Champagne region or the somber tones of a labor strike, his art continues to invite viewers into a profound dialogue with the past. He remains a significant figure for anyone seeking to understand the heartbeat of 19th-century France—an artist who looked at the world not just as it appeared, but as it was felt.
