In 1865, Meissonier (q.v.) was asked to give a recommendation for Édouard Detaille, then seventeen years old, to apprentice with <a href="https://findartvalue.com/artist/alexandre-cabanel">Alexandre Cabanel</a> (1823-1889). After seeing Detaille's portfolio, however, Meissonier himself accepted him as a student. Detaille received a thorough training, and the same precision that defined the work of