Career
He entered the École des Beaux-Arts in 1844 and became a pupil of Hippolyte Delaroche, but painted very much more under the inspiration of Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier, whose exquisite handling is suggested in numerous small canvases of his which by their refined technique and vivid action recall the characteristic intensity and directness of composition which belong to the painter of “Friedland.” Along with great care in finish, Fichel"s canvases also exhibit an archæological exactness, and a kind of delicate humor. He exhibited a canvas every year at the Salon, up to a few years before his death.