Narcisse Berchère Français, 1819-1891

French painter, engraver and lithographer – master of Orientalism

Born in Étampes in 1819, Narcisse Berchère studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and further trained under renowned painters such as Renoux and Rémond. Initially influenced by the Barbizon School, he traversed French landscapes—Fontainebleau, Brittany—before embracing the richer hues of the Mediterranean and the Orient.

Between 1849 and 1850, he traveled extensively across Egypt, Asia Minor, and Greece, marking his entry into Orientalist painting. In 1856, he crossed the Sinai with Lemon Belly, Gérôme, and Bartholdi, and in 1860 was commissioned by Ferdinand de Lesseps to visually document the construction of the Suez Canal. Present at the canal’s inauguration in 1869, he produced celebrated views of the Nile, desert oases, and mosques.

A regular exhibitor at the Paris Salon from 1843, he earned medals and honors, including the Legion of Honor, before settling in Asnières‑sur‑Seine, where he passed away in 1891. His prolific and diverse body of work merges romantic ambiance with documentary precision, positioned at the crossroads of landscape painting and exploratory art.