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Lot Essay
The present picture may well be one of the Apostles executed by Largillière for his apartment in the rue Geoffroy-l'Angevin. In his description of the artist's home and inventory of his estate, Antoine Dezallier d'Argenville's records eight 'têtes d'apôtres', along with numerous scenes from the life of Christ and Mary (see G. de Lastic, 'Nicolas de Largillière, documents notariés inédits' in Gazette des Beaux-Arts, July 1981, pp. 24-5).
The Apostle can be dated to 1720-30 on stylistic grounds: the treatment of the draperies, the broad brushstrokes, the impasto and the 'faded' (fanées) colors are characteristic of his works at time, such as Christ in the house of Martha and Mary, recently on the art market, and today in a private American collection. Largillière handles the brush more freely in his religious paintings than in his highly finished portraits, as does his contemporary Hyacinthe Rigaud, whose Saint Peter in the Musée de Perpignan shows similarities to the present painting.
We are grateful to Dominique Brême for suggesting the attribution and his assistance in cataloguing this lot. The present painting will be included in his forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's paintings.
The Apostle can be dated to 1720-30 on stylistic grounds: the treatment of the draperies, the broad brushstrokes, the impasto and the 'faded' (fanées) colors are characteristic of his works at time, such as Christ in the house of Martha and Mary, recently on the art market, and today in a private American collection. Largillière handles the brush more freely in his religious paintings than in his highly finished portraits, as does his contemporary Hyacinthe Rigaud, whose Saint Peter in the Musée de Perpignan shows similarities to the present painting.
We are grateful to Dominique Brême for suggesting the attribution and his assistance in cataloguing this lot. The present painting will be included in his forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's paintings.