Louis Gabriel BLANCHET (1701-1772) - The Virgin and Child Jesus

Louis Gabriel BLANCHET (Paris, 1701 - Rome, 1772)

The Virgin and Child Jesus.

1731-1742.
Oil on canvas.
H: 69.5; W: 55 cm.

This Virgin and Child is a rare example of the early work of a famous French artist who adopted Roman style, Louis Gabriel Blanchet.
After winning second prize in the Grand Prix de peinture in 1727, Blanchet moved to Rome in October 1728. There he soon met Paul-Hippolyte de Beauvilliers, Duke of Saint-Aignan, who became his principal patron during the 1730s.

A former lieutenant general in the King's army, the Duke of Saint-Aignan was appointed ambassador extraordinary of Louis XV to the Holy See between 1732 and 1741. Thanks to his prominent position in Rome, this collector of ancient and modern paintings maintained a particularly close relationship with the residents of the French Academy in Rome. He commissioned seven paintings from Blanchet.
It was probably around this time that Blanchet took advantage of his privileged access to the Duke's collection to paint this interpretation of Eustache Le Sueur's Virgin and Child, which was kept there. Here, Blanchet only reproduces the posture of Le Sueur's main figures, which he treats in a very personal style. He added more turbulent drapery and a glimpse of a landscape, an element absent from the original work.
This lively touch, as well as the column on the left of the composition, can be found in a contemporary portrait of Bouchardon, attributed to Blanchet.
Our Virgin and Child is also very similar to other Roman works by the artist from the 1750s. The Child Jesus is reminiscent of his Repas du petit frère (Meal of the Little Brother) from 1751, and the Virgin is reminiscent of a Portrait of a Roman Woman dated 1755.