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Lot Essay
Lebelle worked in Paris at the end of the 18th and early part of the 19th Century, specialising in fixé-sous-verre miniatures depicting views of Paris.
The identification of the cathedral interior in the present miniature is complicated by the scene's inclusion of both real and fictional details. While the double aisles and elevation recall elements of famous Parisian cathedral interiors, other elements of the painting such as the variation between sexpartite and quadripartite vaults complicate its firm identification. A further element of fiction is introduced into the scene by the inclusion of historicising, 17th Century dress alongside 18th Century architectural features like the wainscoting around the bases of the columns. Lebelle's use of 17th Century dress in the present miniature suggests he was possibly inspired by Dutch artists, such as Emanuel de Witte, Bartholomeus van Bassen, Hendrick van der Vliet, and Hendrik van Steenwyck, famous for their paintings of church interiors.
Vachette's collaboration with the miniaturist Lebelle reflects his persistent search for new materials and decoration for his boxes. This quest for innovation often led Vachette to collaborate with a variety of artists, which can be seen in a box of the same period set with a micromosaic of Bacchus by Clemente Ciuli, in the Gilbert Collection, now housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum (C. Truman, The Gilbert Collection of Gold Boxes, Los Angeles, 1991, pp. 121-123, no. 37).
The identification of the cathedral interior in the present miniature is complicated by the scene's inclusion of both real and fictional details. While the double aisles and elevation recall elements of famous Parisian cathedral interiors, other elements of the painting such as the variation between sexpartite and quadripartite vaults complicate its firm identification. A further element of fiction is introduced into the scene by the inclusion of historicising, 17th Century dress alongside 18th Century architectural features like the wainscoting around the bases of the columns. Lebelle's use of 17th Century dress in the present miniature suggests he was possibly inspired by Dutch artists, such as Emanuel de Witte, Bartholomeus van Bassen, Hendrick van der Vliet, and Hendrik van Steenwyck, famous for their paintings of church interiors.
Vachette's collaboration with the miniaturist Lebelle reflects his persistent search for new materials and decoration for his boxes. This quest for innovation often led Vachette to collaborate with a variety of artists, which can be seen in a box of the same period set with a micromosaic of Bacchus by Clemente Ciuli, in the Gilbert Collection, now housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum (C. Truman, The Gilbert Collection of Gold Boxes, Los Angeles, 1991, pp. 121-123, no. 37).