Design for a Wall Decoration at Fontainebleau by Simon Vouet

Design for a Wall Decoration at Fontainebleau 1643 - 1644

drawing

toned paper

pencil sketch

charcoal drawing

possibly oil pastel

charcoal art

oil painting

coffee painting

underpainting

france

pencil art

watercolor

"Design for a Wall Decoration at Fontainebleau" (1643-1644) by Simon Vouet is a black chalk drawing showcasing the artist's mastery of Baroque style. The composition features two female figures flanking a blank shield held aloft by two cherubs, creating a sense of dynamism and grandeur. This intricate design likely served as a preliminary sketch for a wall decoration at the Palace of Fontainebleau, reflecting Vouet's influence on French decorative arts during the 17th century. The Minneapolis Institute of Art houses this evocative drawing, which exemplifies the refined elegance and intricate detail characteristic of Vouet's work.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Simon Vouet served at the court of Louis XIII as "first painter to the king." At the chateau of Fontainebleau, Vouet used this sketch as the basis for a fresco in the vestibule of the queen's apartments in 1644. The decorations were later destroyed, but they are known from a book of engravings that reproduce the works. This drawing even provided inspiration for the book's title page. The engraver, Michel Dorigny, Vouet's son-in-law, made significant changes to Vouet's drawing when adapting it for print, altering the composition and turning Vouet's robust, monumental figures into thinner, less classicizing women and putti.