A circuitous writing taking us from a drawing by Carriere to the LeBrun family and finally to an angel which I bought a while back. As I said I bought a painting of an angel and when looking at images of angels came across an etching of a drawing by Carriere.
Cerubinetching after Carriere
@1800
Here is an etching of a drawing by Carriere of a #cherubin done around 1800. It is taken from a painting by LeBrun. Not sure which LeBrun it might be since being a talented artist seemed to be a family trait and I have not yet found the original image from which the drawing is derived.
The #LeBrun artists begin with Charles (1619-1690). He was declared to be the most important French artist ever by Louis XIV. His marvellous achievements range from the decoration of the châteaux of Versailles, Vaux, and Hesselin, to the council apartments in the Louvre, and numerous churches.
From there we go to #LouiseElizabethVigeeLeBrun. Charles was her husbands great-great uncle. A professional portrait painter from her late teens, she was a favourite of Marie Antoinette. She is recognized as the most important female painter of the 18th century.
Lets now go to my #angel. It is not signed or dated but is very finely done. One way to judge the quality of a painting is to look at how well the hands and feet are painted. They are more difficult than you think.
Angelunsigned/undated
I was struck by the similarity of the facial structure between the drawing and the painting. She is superbly portrayed by a talented artist. Are they images taken one from the other or both taken from another image altogether? Does it matter? Behold loveliness. Stand and gaze in wonder and appreciation.
ronsartblog 