Nicolas Poussin

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Nicolas Poussin

1594?-1665

Christ's Charge to Peter (Ordination)

1644-45

Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk on laid paper.

7 3/8 x 10 1/8 inches (185 x 2557mm)

Purchased by Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) in 1909.

III, 70

Notes:

Poussin produced two cycles of paintings devoted to the seven sacraments, one for his Roman patron Cassiano dal Pozzo in 1638-42, and the second for his French patron Paul Fre?art de Chantelou in 1644-48. This study is related to the ordination scene in the second series: Christ, surrounded by his Apostles, presents Peter with the keys to the kingdom of heaven. The static subject, with its limited cast of characters, was challenging-especially given Poussin's need to vary and balance the seven compositions, which would be seen together. -- Exhibition Label, From "Poussin, Claude, and French Drawing in the Classical Age"

Provenance:

Giovanni Matteo Marchetti, Bishop of Arezzo, (d. 1704), Florence (Lugt 2911); his nephew, Chevalier Marchetti da Pistoia; acquired in 1710 by Lord Somers, London (1650-1716), (no mark; see Lugt 2981); William Russell (1880-1884), London (Lugt 2648); his sale, London, Christie's, 10-12 December 1884; Sir John Charles Robinson, (1824-1913), London (Lugt 1433); Charles Fairfax Murray (1849-1919), London and Florence; from whom purchased through Galerie Alexandre Imbert, Rome, in 1909 by Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913), New York (no mark; see Lugt 1509); his son, J. P. Morgan, Jr. (1867-1943), New York.

Associated names:

Marchetti, Giovanni Matteo, Bishop, d. 1704, former owner.
Marchetti da Pistoia, chevalier, former owner.
Somers, John Somers, Baron, 1651-1716, former owner.
Russell, William, 1800-1884, former owner.
Robinson, J. C. (John Charles), Sir, 1824-1913
Murray, Charles Fairfax, 1849-1919, former owner.
Morgan, J. Pierpont (John Pierpont), 1837-1913, former owner.

Bibliography:

Collection J. Pierpont Morgan : Drawings by the Old Masters Formed by C. Fairfax Murray. London : Privately printed, 1905-1912, III, 70.
New York World's Fair : Illustrated Catalogue of an Exhibition Held on the Occasion of The New York World's Fair. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1939, no. 108.
Denison, Cara D. French Drawings, 1550-1825. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1984, no. 16.
Rosenberg, Pierre and Louis-Antoine Prat, "Nicolas Poussin, 1594-1665. Catalogue raisonné des dessins", 2 volumes, Milan, 1994, I, no. 264, repr.

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