Attributed to Gaspard Dughet

Attributed to GASPARD DUGHET (Rome, 1615-1675).
"Louis XIV on the hunt".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 73 x 97 cm.

The present canvas shows an idealized landscape, a type of leafy places of wide panoramic in which Gaspard Dughet, who is considered as one of the main masters in the creation of the poetics of the Roman landscape of the XVII century, stood out very much. In this landscape, as in others he painted, the influence of Poussin can be seen in the serene capture of nature, although this influence is mixed with that of Nordic painters who provide a more stormy and charged sky, as well as luminous details with a subtle dramatism. The small human figures in his paintings were sometimes made by other artists. On this occasion, the painter evokes the figure of Louis XIV riding a white horse, attended by a servant who accompanies him on a hunting trip with his dogs.

Gaspard Dughet, also known as Pussino and as Gaspard Poussin, was Nicolas Poussin's brother-in-law, and worked in the latter's studio until 1635. Nicolas Poussin's life became better known after his arrival in Rome in 1624 and, above all, after his marriage in 1630. When he arrived in Rome, he managed to contact important patrons, thus winning important commissions (he participated in the renovation of St. Peter's in the Vatican, painted for Casiano del Pozo, etc.). His fame grows from 1634, when he begins to receive commissions from France, and finally he arrives in Paris to work for Louis XIII in 1640, returning to Rome after a disastrous stay. Stylistically, he stands out for his strong compositions, perfectly balanced, and turns, over time and increasingly, towards nature, creating important landscapes. His work is preserved only in important private collections, and also in prominent institutions such as the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, the Museum of Fine Arts in Rouen, the Louvre Museum in Paris, the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, etc.
It should be noted that he was appointed Academician of St. Luke in Rome in 1659, and that the Spanish ambassador Castel Rodrigo bought many of his works, which could be for himself or for King Philip IV. His work is preserved in several private collections around the world and in institutions such as the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, the Wallace Collection in London, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, etc.