Philippe de Champaigne (; 26 May 1602 – 12 August 1674) was a Brabançon-born

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

era painter, a major exponent of the French school. He was a founding member of the

Académie de peinture et de sculpture An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

in Paris, the premier art institution in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in the eighteenth century.

Life and work

Born of a poor family in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

(

Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg ...

Southern Netherlands The Southern Netherlands, also called the Catholic Netherlands, were the parts of the Low Countries belonging to the Holy Roman Empire which were at first largely controlled by Habsburg Spain (Spanish Netherlands, 1556–1714) and later by the A ...

), during the reign of the Archduke Albert and Isabella, Champaigne was a pupil of the landscape painter Jacques Fouquières. In 1621 he moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, where he worked with

Nicolas Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was the leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and mythological subjects painted for ...

on the decoration of the

Palais du Luxembourg The Luxembourg Palace (french: Palais du Luxembourg, ) is at 15 Rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was originally built (1615–1645) to the designs of the French architect Salomon de Brosse to be the royal residence of the ...

under the direction of Nicolas Duchesne, whose daughter he would eventually marry. According to Houbraken, Duchesne was angry at Champaigne for becoming more popular than he was at court, and this is why Champaigne returned to Brussels to live with his brother. Ex voto (Champaigne)

It was only after he received news of Duchesne's death that he returned to marry his daughter. After the death of his ''protector'' Duchesne, Champaigne worked for the Queen Mother, Marie de Medicis, for whom he participated in the decoration of the Luxembourg Palace. He made several paintings for the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, dating from 1638. He also drew several cartoons for tapestries. He was made first painter of the Queen with a pension of 1200 pounds. He also decorated the Carmelite Church of Faubourg Saint-Jacques, one of the favorite churches of the Queen Mother. This site was destroyed during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, but there are several paintings now preserved in museums, that were part of the original design. ''The Presentation in the Temple'' is in Dijon, the ''Resurrection of Lazarus'' is in Grenoble and the ''Assumption of the Virgin'' is in the Louvre. He also worked for

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

, for whom he decorated the Palais Cardinal, the dome of the Sorbonne and other buildings. Champaigne was the only artist who was allowed to paint Richelieu enrobed as a cardinal, which he did eleven times. He was a founding member of the

in 1648. Later in his life (from 1640 onwards), he came under the influence of Jansenism. After his paralysed daughter was allegedly miraculously cured at the nunnery of

Port-Royal Port Royal is the former capital city of Jamaica. Port Royal or Port Royale may also refer to: Institutions * Port-Royal-des-Champs, an abbey near Paris, France, which spawned influential schools and writers of the 17th century ** Port-Royal Ab ...

, he painted the celebrated but atypical picture ''

Ex-Voto de 1662 ''Ex-Voto de 1662'' is a painting by the French artist Philippe de Champaigne now in the Louvre in Paris. One of Champaigne's most accomplished works, it is a votive offering (an ex-voto) by the painter which depicts a miracle involving his daughte ...

'', now in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...

, which represents the artist's daughter with Mother-Superior Agnès Arnauld.

Career

Champaigne produced a very large number of paintings, mainly religious works and portraits. Influenced by

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

at the beginning of his career, his style later became more austere. Philippe de Champaigne remains an exceptional painter thanks to the brilliance of the colors in his paintings and the stern strength of his compositions. He portrayed the entire French court, the French high nobility, royalty, high members of the church and the state, parliamentarians and architects, and other notable people. His portrait of the poet Vincent Voiture was created around 1649 as the frontispiece for Voiture's published ''Works'' (published posthumously in 1650). The portrait is highly unusual in that Champaigne later reworked it as a portrait of a religious figure, Saint Louis (King Louis IX), to enable Voiture's daughter to keep it with her when she entered a convent. In depicting their faces, he refused to show a transitory expression, instead capturing the psychological essence of the person. His works can be seen in public buildings, private collections, churches such as

Val-de-Grâce The (' or ') was a military hospital located at in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was closed as a hospital in 2016. History The church of the was built by order of Queen Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII. After the birth of h ...

, Sorbonne, Saint Severin,

Saint-Merri The Church of Saint-Merri or ''Église Saint-Merry'') is a parish church in Paris, located near the Centre Pompidou along the rue Saint Martin, in the 4th arrondissement on the Rive Droite (Right Bank). It is dedicated to the 8th century abbot of ...

, Saint-Médard and in the

Basilica of Notre-Dame du Port The Basilica of Notre-Dame du Port is a Romanesque basilica, formerly a collegiate church, in the Port quarter of Clermont-Ferrand, between Place Delille and the cathedral. From the 10th century to the French Revolution it was served by a communit ...

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label= Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with a population of 146,734 (2018). Its metropolitan area (''aire d'attrac ...

. Champaigne was prominent enough in his time as to be mentioned in ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

'' in a line by Ragueneau referencing Cyrano: "Truly, I should not look to find his portrait By the grave hand of Philippe de Champagne." His pupils were his nephew

Jean Baptiste de Champaigne Jean Baptiste de Champaigne (10 December 1631, in Brussels – 27 October 1681, in Paris), was a Flemish Baroque painter and teacher. Biography According to the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD), he was the nephew of Philippe ...

William Faithorne William Faithorne, often "the Elder" (161613 May 1691), was an English painter and engraver. Life Faithorne was born in London and was apprenticed to William Peake. On the outbreak of the Civil War Faithorne accompanied his master into the ...

, Jean Morin, and Nicolas de Plattemontagne. During his last period Champaigne painted mainly religious subjects and family members. He died in Paris in 1674.

Gallery

File:Philippe de Champaigne - The Annunciation - WGA04704.jpg, ''The Annunciation'', c. 1645, Wallace Collection File:Philippe de Champaigne - The Repentant Magdalen - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Repentant Magdalen'', 1648 File:Philippe de Champaigne - Le sacrifice d'Isaac.jpg , ''Le sacrifice d'Isaac'' File:Philippe de Champaigne - Moses with the Ten Commandments - WGA04717.jpg, ''Moses with the Ten Commandments'' File:Champaigne eccehomo.jpg, ''Ecce Homo'' File:The Dream of Saint Joseph.jpg, ''The Dream of Saint Joseph'' File:Champaigne, Philippe de - Saint Augustin - 1645-1650.jpg, ''Saint Augustin'', 1645–1650 File:St.Paul-PhilippeChampaigne.jpg, ''Saint Paul'' File:Philippe de Champaigne 003.jpg, Portrait of Arnauld d'Andilly, 1650,

File:LouisXIII.jpg, ''Louis XIII of France in Coronation Robes'', c. 1622–1639,

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

File:Champaigne portrait richelieu eb.jpg, '' Portrait of Cardinal Richelieu'', 1642,

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg (Museum of Fine Arts of Strasbourg) is the old masters paintings collection of the city of Strasbourg, located in the Alsace region of France. The museum is housed in the first and second floors of the ...

File:Triple Portrait of Cardinal de Richelieu probably 1642, Philippe de Champaigne.jpg, '' Triple portrait of Cardinal de Richelieu'', c. 1642,

National Gallery, London The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director of ...

File:Colbert1666.jpg, Portrait of

Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the country ...

, 1666 File:Philippe de Champaigne - Reverend Father Giovanni Antonio Philippini.png, ''Reverend Father Giovanni Antonio Philippini'' (1651)

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

1993.35
File:Philippe de Champaigne 002.jpg, ''Portrait of Omer Talon'', 1649 File:Charles II (de Champaigne).jpg, Charles II of England, 1653 File:Mansard champaigne.jpg, ''Double portrait of François Mansard and

Claude Perrault Claude Perrault (25 September 1613 – 9 October 1688) was a French physician and an amateur architect, best known for his participation in the design of the east façade of the Louvre in Paris.

References

External links

PhilippeDeChampaigne.org
98 works by Philippe de Champaigne
ScholarsResource.com
Paintings of Philippe de Champaigne {{DEFAULTSORT:Champaigne, Philippe De 1602 births 1674 deaths Artists from Brussels Jansenists French Baroque painters Flemish Baroque painters