Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne, (Brussels 1631-1681 Paris)

The Madonna and Child with angels unframed

The Madonna and Child with angels
oil on canvas
132 x 190cm (51 15/16 x 74 13/16in).
unframed

According to Guillet de Saint-Georges, Philippe painted a 'Vierge élevée dans les nues et au-dessous le martyre de sainte Agathe' for the church of Saint-Merry in Paris. However, this latter altarpiece is no longer in place and its current whereabouts is unknown.

The present painting, which has been cut down, is related to the upper section of the preparatory drawing given to Philippe de Champaigne now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. no. 19869, see fig. 1), presumably made in preparation for the commission for Saint-Merry. The Louvre sketch has also, on occasion, been attributed to Philippe's nephew, Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne (see: N. Sainte Fare Garnot, Cahiers du dessin français no. 11, Champaigne and his workshop, 2000).

The present work was painted by Jean-Baptiste but using his uncle's earlier drawing. It is known that Jean-Baptiste often helped his uncle, particularly on large-scale religious commissions, such as the Martyrdom of Saint Agatha for Saint-Merry. The face of the Virgin, for example, can be compared to the figure of Aurore in Jean-Baptiste's La Nuit e L'Aurore now in the Louvre (inv. no. RF 1986 62) originally painted for the apartments of the Grand Dauphin at the Tuileries palace.

It is very likely that the present painting was cut down to half of the original composition of the Martyrdom of Saint Agatha as the angel, lower left, is flying downwards, out of the picture, with a laurel crown in hand ready to place on the head of Saint Agatha.