SECOND EMPIRE SCHOOL, AFTER FRANÇOIS LEMOYNE (1688-1737)... Lot 2

SECOND EMPIRE SCHOOL, AFTER FRANÇOIS LEMOYNE (1688-1737) FOR THE CEILING OF A PARISIAN TOWNHOUSE. The apotheosis of Hercules. Two exceptional and important oil paintings. Inscription on the back: "1853 October 23" and Masonic emblem with the monogram "J.B" around the square and the compass topped by the flaming star, between two laurel branches, letter c. Scratches, tears, holes, wear. 419 x 371 and 417,5 x 375 cm. The two paintings presented here are an impressive composition realized during the Second Empire after a part of the ceiling of the Salon d'Hercule at the Château de Versailles, a masterpiece by François Lemoyne (1688-1737). In 1736, the artist unveiled, after three years of hard work, this sumptuous composition which includes 142 characters and was so admired that it earned its author the title of First Painter of the King. However, Lemoyne, sinking into a deep melancholy linked to multiple dramas, committed suicide in 1737. Hercules, conqueror of Vices and monsters, rides to Olympus on a chariot pulled by the geniuses of Virtue. Jupiter and Juno, surrounded by the other deities, present him with the goddess of youth, Hebe, whom he will marry. The painting also shows Zephyr and Flora playing with a garland braided by the Lovers. Dawn surrounded by stars, and Iris, recognizable by her rainbow, look towards the group of Muses dominated by Apollo and the Genius of Fine Arts. PROVENANCE. Parisian private mansion.