Lot Essay
An early, unpublished work by the artist, the present picture demonstrates Champaigne's interest in landscape following his training in the studio of Jacques Fouquières. The subject, taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses (7: 795-866), again situates the work at the start of Champaigne's career.
Despite his reputation as a painter of religious subjects and portraits, it is known that Champaigne was engaged on numerous secular decorative schemes early in his career, such as the decoration of the Queen's appartements at the Palais du Luxembourg in 1625. Later in 1666, together with his nephew Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne, he also decorated the appartement of the Dauphin in the Tuileries with an Ovidian scheme, including L'Education d'Achille.
It has been suggested that the present work should be seen as contemporary with Parisian interiors of the 1620s-40s, such as the Arsenal in Paris. The picture's format indicates that it was originally conceived to be inserted into the lambris of a similar decorative ensemble.
Despite his reputation as a painter of religious subjects and portraits, it is known that Champaigne was engaged on numerous secular decorative schemes early in his career, such as the decoration of the Queen's appartements at the Palais du Luxembourg in 1625. Later in 1666, together with his nephew Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne, he also decorated the appartement of the Dauphin in the Tuileries with an Ovidian scheme, including L'Education d'Achille.
It has been suggested that the present work should be seen as contemporary with Parisian interiors of the 1620s-40s, such as the Arsenal in Paris. The picture's format indicates that it was originally conceived to be inserted into the lambris of a similar decorative ensemble.