Founded in 684 by Saint Philibert (who also started Jumièges), the Benedictine abbey for women in Montiviliers near Le Havre owns an interesting art collection, mostly seventeenth century, with works painted for it (Sacquespée, La Court) or donated by abbesses or relatives (a very beautiful Descent from the Cross offered in 1646 by the maréchale de l’ Hôpital, sister-in-law of the Abbess Louis de l’Hôpital). During the nineteenth century, a local painter Benjamin Bonvoisin, who was also a (...)  continue

During the nineteenth century beginning with the art of David d’Angers and François Rude, in particular, and continuing through the work of Rodin a small number of independent-minded sculptors in France who were committed to an art of their own time - i.e. “modernity” à la Baudelaire - defied the restrictive neo-Classical tenets of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Academic art required the idealization of the human figure based on antique canons and the depiction of allegorical, religious, or (...)  continue

This painting (ill. 1 and 2) which hangs in the parish church in Droué (Loir-et-Cher, France) was distinguished by the Monuments Historiques in 1947 while ascribed then to Jean Jouvenet, a claim which today seems unfounded. Traditionally it is described as representing Isaac du Raynier Handing Over the Keys to the Church of Droué to the Bishop of Chartres, (the painting bears the coat of arms of Raynier). Yet, for both historical and iconographical reasons, this is impossible. For, in fact, (...)  continue

The church of Saint Médard in Tremblay-en-France is getting a face lift. It has just undergone a complete restoration of its architecture as well as some of its furnishings, a project under the scientific supervision of Serge Pitiot, head curator of Monuments Historiques. Among the furnishings were two terracotta reliefs from the XIXthC., classified as Monuments Historiques since February 20, 1915. The artist was unknown due to the fact that, having been sealed in the walls of the chapels (...)  continue