Henri Lehmann

Description

Our drawing of the Adoration of Christ is preparatory for a painting executed by the artist for the Chapel of the Compassion in Saint-Louis-en-l’Île church, Paris in 1850.  Two other paintings by the artist adorn this chapel: the Virgin at the Foot of the Cross shown at the Salon of 1848 and the Assumption of the Virgin shown at the Salon of 1850. Some modifications exist between our drawing and the painting. In the painted version, the artist deleted the child held by the woman on the left and changed the position of the two figures in the foreground.

Our drawing is a fine example of the art of Henri Lehmann. The erect pose of the Virgin demonstrates the artist’s admiration for Ingres, tempered here though by a violent chiaroscuro and expressive gestures inspired by seventeenth century Italian art. This dramatic almost romantic energy, is reflected in another