Alexandre Louis Leloir, also known as Louis Leloir, was decorated with numerous medals and awarded many accolades, including the prestigious Legion of Honor. He participated in the Paris Salon from 1859 – 1868, and won second place in the 1864 Prix de Rome competition, a coveted scholarship for promising artists. Around 1868, Leloir shifted his focus from history painting to romantic images imbued with vibrant colors. Chariot of Swallows depicts grace, sensuality, and delicate imagination, all hallmarks of the Romantic Movement. Fantasy provided an enchanting escape from the political unrest, poverty, and rapid urbanization that plagued nineteenth century Continental Europe. Today, Leloir’s paintings hang in some of the finest museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. (http://www.theknohlcollection.com/portfolio-category/revolution-to-romanticism/page/2/)