French school of the 16th century
Vulcan at his... Lot 3
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French school of the 16th century
Vulcan at his forge
Oil on canvas (mounted in the 19th century on mahogany)
50 x 34 cm
(Cracked and cracked)
Without frame
With its mythological subject, its ancient architecture, its Lovers and the fire of its forge lighting up the night, this painting seems to be related to a series of works of the French Renaissance which includes an Adoration of the Shepherds from the Ecouen Chapel (Louvre), as well as engravings bearing the monogram JG. For a long time this set was attributed to the Parisian bookseller Jean de Gourmont. This identification has since been rejected in favor of a silversmith from Lyon, Jacques Gauvain, mentioned between 1513 and 1545. However, there is no proof that the author of the engravings is also the one of the painting in the Louvre, given today to the "school of Jacques Gauvain". Our composition can also be compared to the architectures published in 1551 by Jacques Androuet du Cerceau in his Vues d'optique. If it is likely that the author of our Vulcan at his forge was aware of these engraved architectures, he is nevertheless a true painter, by the skill of his chromaticism which passes subtly from ochres to greys, and by the subtle light of the focus which enhances the central scene.
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