Charles PARROCEL (1688-1752), and workshop - Lot 86

Lot n° 86
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Estimation :
18000 - 20000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 23 400EUR
Charles PARROCEL (1688-1752), and workshop - Lot 86
Charles PARROCEL (1688-1752), and workshop Equestrian portrait of Louis XV, King of France (1710-1774) Oil on canvas 118 x 99 cm (With frame: 129 x 107.5 cm) Overlay, old restorations This equestrian portrait of Louis XV, depicted in armor and mounted on a prancing horse, is part of the great tradition of painting aimed at exalting the royal figure in all its military and symbolic power. The composition, in which the sovereign dominates the scene, his gaze assured, his sword at his side, belongs to a well-established iconographic repertoire, inherited from Rubens and Van Dyck, then widely taken up in 18thᵉ century Europe. Charles Parrocel was one of the leading painters of battles and military scenes during the reign of Louis XV. Appointed the king's official painter of military subjects in 1730, he accompanied the king on several campaigns, including the War of Polish Succession, and received numerous commissions to immortalize French victories and military reviews. In this portrait, Louis XV is depicted in a heroic pose, halfway between military reality and royal allegory. The background suggests a battlefield or idealized landscape, where the dramatic light accentuates the triumphal character of the scene. The horse, superbly rendered in movement, becomes a full-fledged player in the composition, in a process very common in Parrocel's work, a master in the art of depicting cavalry. The richness of the details testifies to the artist's concern for verisimilitude, but also to his taste for staging. Here, Parrocel masters a subtle balance between historical grandeur and pictorial dynamism, giving the royal figure unquestionable visual authority. Our painting has been repainted, as it was rolled up and hidden during the Second World War. Comparable works by Charles Parrocel situate this composition in his output: -Charles Parrocel, Louis XV passant en revue les troupes, circa 1730-1740, oil on canvas, Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon. -Charles Parrocel, Louis XV à la bataille de Fontenoy, circa 1745, oil on canvas, Château de Versa -Charles Parrocel, Revue de cavalerie, circa 1730, oil on canvas, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Di These paintings, like the one shown here, contribute to the construction of the image of a warrior king, worthy successor to Louis XIV, while adapting to an era when military representation began to give way to a more ceremonial and narrative approach.
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