Details
ÉCOLE FRANÇAISE VERS 1630
Allégories de l'Architecture, de la Peinture et de la Sculpture
huile sur toile, restaurations
199,5 x 122 cm. (7812 x 48 in.)
Provenance
Vente anonyme, Sotheby's, Londres, 6 décembre 2012, lot 318 (comme 'Central Italian School, 17th century').
Collection particulière, Paris.
FURTHER DETAILS
FRENCH SCHOOL CIRCA 1630, ALLEGORIES OF ARCHITECTURE, PAINTING AND SCULPTURE, OIL ON CANVAS, RESTORATIONS

At first glance, this monumental canvas seems to be a version of the three graces, daughters of Zeus who embodied joy, abundance and splendour. However, at the feet of the three sinuous figures are the attributes of sculpture, painting and architecture, making this an allegory of the arts.

The painter, who was profoundly influenced by Ambroise Dubois (1542-1614), has taken for his original inspiration the three graces by Primaticcio (1503-1570) found in his frescos in the ballroom at the Château de Fontainebleau, which differs from the traditional Greco-Roman model used by so many artists where the woman seen from behind is placed at the centre of the composition.
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Lot Essay

Au premier abord, ce tableau monumental semble être une version des trois grâces, filles de Zeus, qui incarnent l’allégresse, l’abondance et la splendeur. Or, nous voyons aux pieds de ces trois femmes au corps sinueux les attributs de la sculpture, de la peinture et de l'architecture : nous sommes en la présence d’une allégorie des arts.

Le peintre, profondément influencé par le style d'Ambroise Dubois (1542-1614), prend pour modèle les trois grâces de Primatice (1503-1570) que l'on retrouve dans les fresques de la salle de bal du château de Fontainebleau, différant du modèle traditionnel gréco-romain repris par de multiples artistes où la femme vue de dos se trouve au milieu de la composition.

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