It was not until 1796 that some of the charming drawings which he had made commenced to attract attention.  A series of designs illustrating Daphnis and Chloe, for the publishing house of Didot aine, were particularly noticeable; and through this work he made the acquaintance of M. Frochot, by whose influence he received a commission for a decoration for the palace of St. Cloud, which is now placed in the Louvre.

[Illustration:  HECTOR AND ANDROMACHE.  FROM A DRAWING BY PRUD’HON.

This charming drawing, which forms part of the collection in the Louvre, is a study for a projected painting, and is, by its grace of line and composition, peculiarly typical of the painter.  Hector, about to depart for his combat with Ajax, and having bidden farewell to Andromache, his wife, desires to embrace his son.  But the child, frightened at the emotion of which he is witness, takes refuge in his mother’s arms.]

Life now became somewhat easier, and in 1803—­having long been separated from his wife—­a talented young woman, Mlle. Mayer, became his pupil, and relations of a more tender character were established.  The pictures of Mlle. Mayer are influenced by her master to a degree that makes them minor productions of his own; and her unselfish, though unconsecrated, devotion to him makes up the sum of the little happiness which he may have had.

In 1808 Prud’hon’s picture of Justice and Divine Vengeance pursuing Crime was ordered for the Palace of Justice, and was shown at the Salon of that year, where the presence of David’s Sabines and its influence as shown in many of the productions of his pupils were not enough to rob Prud’hon of a legitimate success, and the cross of the Legion of Honor was accorded him.  The Assumption of the Virgin was exhibited in 1819; but before that Prud’hon had been made a member of the Institute, and (it passed for a distinction) drawing-master to the Empress Marie Louise.

Many pictures, all characterized by a subtile charm, were produced during this happy period; but in 1821 Mlle. Mayer, preyed upon by her false position, committed suicide, and Prud’hon lingered in continual sorrow until February 16, 1823, when he died.  The work of Prud’hon covers a wide range, of which not the least important are the drawings which he made with a lavish hand.  As has been observed, he was a true child of his time, and the classic influence is strongly felt in his work; but translated through his temperament, it is no longer lifeless and cold.  It is eloquent of the early ages of the world, when life was young and maturity and age bore the impress of a simple life, little perplexed by intricate problems of existence.  Throughout his work, in the recreation of the myths of antiquity or in the rarer representation of Christian legend, his style is sober and dignified—­as truly classic as that of David; but permeating it all is the indescribable essence of beauty and youth, the reflection, undoubtedly, of a man who, rarely fortunate, capable of grave mistakes, has nevertheless left much testimony to the love and esteem in which he was held.