(In the Luxembourg Museum, Paris)
This was Gérôme's first picture. It was exhibited at the Salon of 1847,
and achieved a brilliant success. Théophile Gautier, who was a critic
hard to please, bestowed upon it some enviable praise. In later years
the artist found much to censure in his early work; but the public,
less severely critical, admired the graceful nudity of the young forms
and the combative ardour of the two adversaries.]