Eugène Isabey (1803 – 1886) was a French painter who was well known for his landscape and marine painting, but also worked in the genre and historical painting styles. He was the son of Jean-Baptiste Isabey, a famous miniaturist, and had been initially trained by his father.
In the beginning, Eugène Isabey focused primarily on miniatures and illustrations, but he later transitioned to larger paintings, inspired by the Romantic movement that was thriving in France at the time. His works often captured tumultuous seascapes and shipwrecks, heavily influenced by the Dutch 17th-century school.
Isabey also created historical scenes. Among his most notable works of this type is "The Arrival of the Duke of Alba at Rotterdam," which shows his abilities to handle complex compositions with many figures and detailed elements.
Despite his individual successes, Isabey was a significant figure in French painting primarily because of his influence on others. He taught a number of important painters, including Eugène Boudin and Johan Barthold Jongkind, both of whom played critical roles in the development of Impressionism. Therefore, Isabey's legacy lies both in his own work and in his contributions to the evolution of 19th-century French art.
NOTE: A postern is a secondary door or gate in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location which allowed the occupants to come and go inconspicuously.
These were the only two paintings/drawings of Isabey we could find which he made in Mont Saint-Michel.