A Knight at Prayer in a Chapel, Preparing Himself for Combat
| A Knight at Prayer in a Chapel, Preparing Himself for Combat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Fleury François Richard |
| Year | c. 1805 |
| Medium | oil on wood |
| Dimensions | 46.2 cm × 38 cm (18.2 in × 15 in) |
| Location | Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon, Lyon |
A Knight at Prayer in a Chapel, Preparing Himself for Combat (French: Un Chevalier se préparant au combat) is an oil on wood painting by French painter Fleury François Richard, created c. 1805. It is held at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, since 1981.[1][2][3]
History and description
[edit]According to the artist's description, the painting depicts a knight praying in the chapel of the Église Saint-Irénée de Lyon, which had been ruined by the Baron des Adrets in 1562. The knight is seen kneeling in a prayer in front a tomb, beneath a window. The interior of the chapel is very dark and devoided of any significant decoration. Amother knight is seen, at the right, by the door, possibly his squire. He holds the knight's helmet at his hands, while his shield can be seen at his left, leaning at the wall. The light that illuminates the scene comes from the narrow window, at the center of the composition. At the right, a image of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus is seen at the upper wall. Another larger door is seen at the left.[4]
Reception
[edit]The painting was shown in the Paris Salon of 1806, and highly praised by Pierre-Jean-Baptiste Chaussard, although he argued that if the date was supposed to be after 1562 as the artist stated, then the armour was of the wrong period, and the walls of the chapel insufficiently ruined.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Un chevalier se préparant au combat de Fleury Richard Chaudonneret, Marie-Claude". Bibliothèques spécialisées de la Ville de Paris.
- ^ Charles Gabet (1831). Dictionnaire des artistes de l'école française, au XIXe siècle: peinture, sculpture, architecture, gravure, dessin, lithographie et composition musicale. Madame Vergne. pp. 608–.
- ^ Bulletin des musées et monuments lyonnais. Association des Amis du Musée de Lyon. 1981.
- ^ a b Pierre Jean Baptiste Chaussard (1808). Le Pausanias francais, ou Description du salon de 1806 état des arts du dessin en France, à l'ouverture du 19.e siècle ... Publié par un observateur impartial. chez F. Buisson, libraire-editeur, rue Gilles-Cœur. pp. 221–.