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JEAN-JACQUES LAGRENÉE
Paris 1739-1821 Paris
An Allegory of Charity
28 000 €
size: 400 x 527 mm, 15 3/4 x 20 3/4 in.
technique: Black chalk, red chalk, red chalk wash, gray wash
provenance: Probably sale of M. M., Paris, July 8 1777, n°73. The drawing is described as follows: “La Charité représentée par une Femme allaitant un enfant & faisant l'aumone, Dessin d'une grande maniere & colorié, par N. de la Grenée le jeune.“
Description
The present drawing illustrates an Allegory of Charity, one of the three theological virtues along with Faith and Hope. Lagrenée juxtaposed within the present sheet two figures of Christian Charity: the woman breastfeeding a child and the woman distributing a purse to the poor. The artist addressed this theme several times in paintings and used the figure of the woman breastfeeding a child in an engraving.
The present drawing is characteristic of Lagrenée’s graphic technique. The artist traces his composition in black chalk and red chalk with a very free and spontaneous hand. The drawing is then shaded with the brush, creating volume, and defining forms. The draperies appear fluid and the vegetation lively and soft. The use of gray wash and red chalk wash lends the page a warm, colorful feeling. The artist’s interest in antiquity is perceptible through iconographic elements like the ancient monuments in the background, the imposing column, and the vase decorated with grotesques.
Among similar drawings, we can mention The flight into Egypt of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv.61.58), and Mercury entrusting Bacchus to the nymphs dated 1777.
Additional information
| size: | 400 x 527 mm, 15 <sup> 3/4 </sup> x 20 <sup> 3/4 </sup> in. |
|---|---|
| technique | Black chalk, red chalk, red chalk wash, gray wash |
| provenance: | Probably sale of M. M., Paris, July 8 1777, n°73. The drawing is described as follows: |
