Giuseppe De Nittis, the son of landowners from Apulia, was expelled from the Naples Academy in 1863 for refusing the teaching then in use. He painted from nature, and that alone made you a rebel. Settled in Paris, a friend of Degas, he became famous for his elegant scenes of Parisian life. His epitaph is signed by Alexandre Dumas fils, which is seldom seen here.
The story
Giuseppe De Nittis has for an epitaph a sentence by Alexandre Dumas fils, who signed it: “mort à trente huit ans, en pleine jeunesse, en pleine gloire, comme les héros, et les demi-dieux.” Dead at thirty-eight, in full youth, in full glory, like the heroes and the demigods. Few graves in Père-Lachaise carry the signature of a writer of that rank.
Born in Barletta on 25 February 1846, the son of wealthy landowners in Apulia, Giuseppe De Nittis was expelled from the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples in 1863 for refusing its conventional teaching. He painted from nature, which was enough in those days to make a rebel.
Settled in Paris, he became close to Degas, exhibited at the first Impressionist exhibition of 1874 and made his name with elegant Parisian scenes: an Italian who painted the women of Paris better than many Frenchmen. He died suddenly on 21 August 1884 at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, at thirty-eight; his wife Léontine, née Gruvelle, is buried close by.
A second inscription was added on 30 November 1971, in Italian: “Aux soins de la Sezione di Storia Patria di Barletta” — in the care of the local history society of his native town, which came to the chemin Denon, in Division 11, to look after the grave of a painter dead eighty-seven years earlier.
The grave
A literary epitaph, signed Alexandre Dumas fils: “Ci git, le peintre, Joseph de NITTIS, 1846-1884, mort à trente huit ans, en pleine jeunesse, en pleine gloire, comme les héros, et les demi-dieux. — A. Dumas Fils.” — Here lies the painter Joseph de Nittis, 1846-1884, dead at thirty-eight, in the fullness of youth, in the fullness of glory, like the heroes and the demigods. Few tombs at Père-Lachaise bear the signature of a writer of that rank. A second mention was added on 30 November 1971: “Aux soins de la Sezione di Storia Patria di Barletta” — in the care of the Barletta local history society — his native town, a century later, come to tend his memory.
On site, do not miss
The epitaph is signed “A. Dumas Fils”: “mort à trente huit ans, en pleine jeunesse, en pleine gloire, comme les héros, et les demi-dieux” — dead at thirty-eight, in the fullness of youth, in the fullness of glory, like the heroes and the demigods. A mention of Barletta was added in 1971.
Visitors' questions
Where is De Nittis's grave?
In Division 11, chemin Denon, second row. The epitaph, signed A. Dumas fils, is one of the most literary in the cemetery; a further line was added in 1971 by his native town, Barletta. He died at thirty-eight, in 1884, and his wife Léontine lies nearby.
Frédéric ChopinWho wrote his epitaph?
Alexandre Dumas fils: “Ci git, le peintre, Joseph de NITTIS, 1846-1884, mort à trente huit ans, en pleine jeunesse, en pleine gloire, comme les héros, et les demi-dieux” — dead at thirty-eight, in the full flower of youth and of glory, like the heroes and the demigods. The signature is there on the stone.
NadarWhy did he leave Naples?
He was thrown out: the Academy of Fine Arts expelled him in 1863 for his refusal of conventional teaching. He painted from nature, which was enough in those days to make a rebel.
Camille PissarroWho took him in at Paris?
Degas and the Impressionists. The son of rich landowners in Apulia, he became famous for his elegant Paris scenes — an Italian who painted Parisian women better than many a Frenchman.
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