Lot Essay
The drawing is a study for the picture painted by Corneille in 1672 for the cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris, now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Arras, France (photograph at the Witt Library). The painting was offered by the Parisian goldsmith's company as part of a series presented to the cathedral every first day of May. Although the tradition of the company's gift went back to 1449, the first picture was only offered in 1533. In 1630 the size of the picture increased and was fixed to 340 by 275 cm., and the subjects had to be taken from the Acts of the Apostles. The pictures were commissioned from the greatest artists of the period, Charles Le Brun, Laurent de La Hyre, Charles Poerson, Bourdon, Galloche, Corneille the Elder, Blanchet. The last picture was presented in 1707. Few of them are still in situ in the church of Notre Dame.
The picture was reproduced by Corneille in an engraving of the same size as the drawing which possibly served as its direct model, J. Guiffrey and P. Marcel, Inventaire général des Dessins du Musée du Louvre et du Musée de Versailles, Ecole Française, Paris, 1908, II, no. 2453, illustrated.
The picture was reproduced by Corneille in an engraving of the same size as the drawing which possibly served as its direct model, J. Guiffrey and P. Marcel, Inventaire général des Dessins du Musée du Louvre et du Musée de Versailles, Ecole Française, Paris, 1908, II, no. 2453, illustrated.