Charles Le Brun Circle

Circle of CHARLES LE BRUN (Paris, 1619-1690).
"Saint Geneviève, patron saint of Paris".
Oil on canvas.
It retains its original canvas.
It presents Repainting and restorations.
It has a frame of the eighteenth century.
Measurements: 234 x 170 cm; 247 x 184 cm (frame).
In this work the artist harmonizes with two disparate themes, first, configures a religious image, dominated by the presence of a saint in genuflection, accompanied by an angel and a cherub, while the rear area shows a landscape in which a war is taking place. This shows the decisive role of the Saint in the resolution of the conflict, in fact, one of the remarkable characteristics is found in the small head of the cherub, who is blowing, thus indicating a new course in the war, originated by the presence of Saint Genevieve. In the lower intermediate zone a small still life formed by: a book, some keys and a skein of thread, serve to identify the protagonist, since they are the iconographic attributes of Saint Genoveva, who also always usually carries a large candle as in this particular case. Saint Genevieve (c. 419/422 A.D. - 502/512 A.D.) is the patron saint of Paris according to Roman Catholic and Orthodox tradition. Genevieve (as she is known in France) was born in Nanterre and moved to Paris. After meeting Germanus of Auxerre and Lupus of Troyes, she devoted herself to Christian life. In 451 she led a "prayer marathon" that is said to have saved Paris by diverting Attila's Huns from the city. When the Germanic king Childeric I besieged the city in 464, Genevieve acted as an intermediary between the city and its besiegers, collecting food and convincing Childeric to release his prisoners. Her following and her status as patron saint of Paris were promoted by Clotilde, who may have commissioned the writing of her life. This was probably written in Tours, where Clotilde retired after the death of her husband, as is also shown by the importance of Martin of Tours as a saintly model.
The technical characteristics bring this work close to the production of Charles Le Brun, who was a French painter and important art theorist. He trained in the workshop of Simon Vouet as a child, receiving commissions from Cardinal Richeliu at the age of fifteen. Between 1642 and 1646 he was in Rome, where he came into contact with works by Raphael, Guido Reni, the Bolognese school, etc., and where he was also a disciple of Poussin. He returned to Paris, and continued with an important work, reaching his stylistic maturity towards the middle of the century (classicist and elegant painting). He was ennobled by Louis XIV, who named him Premier Peintre du Roi in 1664. His work is preserved in the Louvre Museum in Paris, Versailles, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, United States), the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon (France), the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg (Russia), the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. (United States), the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, etc.