Download image:
Michel Corneille
1642-1708
The Coat of Arms of France and Navarre, Surrounded with the Order of Saint Michel, Supported by Fame, Glory, and Two Putti
ca. 1680-90
Pen and brown-black ink and wash, white opaque watercolor, over red and black chalks, in an inscribed oval, on laid paper toned with brown wash.
10 3/8 x 8 3/8 inches (264 x 213 mm)
Purchased on the Lois and Walter C. Baker Fund.
2006.37
Notes:
This drawing shows the allegorical figures of Fame and Glory supporting the arms of France and Navarre surrounded by the chains of the Orders of St. Michael and of the Holy Spirit. Navarre, a region on the border of southwestern France and northeastern Spain, was incorporated into France in 1620. The Order of the Holy Spirit was the most esteemed chivalric order, reserved for royalty and powerful nobles, and its members were already knights of the Order of St. Michael. The drawing was surely for an important commission, although its specific function is not known.
Inscription:
Inscribed at lower left in pen and black ink, "P.M."
Provenance:
Possibly Pierre Mignard (1612-1695), Avignon; anonymous sale, Piasa, Paris, 18 June 2002, lot 25; Artemis and C.G. Boerner, London and New York; Christie's, London, 4 July 2006, lot 92.
Associated names:
Mignard, Pierre, 1612-1695, former owner.
Catalog link:
Artist page:
School:
Century:
Classification:
Department: