Hoping that he could go at the expense of the state, he competed for the Prix de Rome and, in 1821, was awarded a prize for his depiction of Samson and Delilah.
Although their request was for an easel painting only, he produced a monumental canvas depicting the playwright Corneille, receiving honors from the nobility after the premiere of his tragedy, Cinna.
Following the July Revolution, the government of King Louis-Philippe held a competition for a large canvas, to adorn the new room at the Chamber of Deputies.
He did eventually receive some major public commissions, including figures for the Hôtel de Ville (1841), and paintings for the dome of Saint Isaac's Cathedral (1850).
He had long wanted to return to his hometown so, in 1853, he accepted an appointment as Conservator at the Musée de Rouen; immediately beginning a project to renovate the museum's rooms.