Painting Sacrifice: French Art, Antiquarianism and Doctrine in the Grand Siècle
Date of Award
Spring 2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
History of Art
First Advisor
Suthor, Nicola
Abstract
Examining paintings of blood sacrifice, both human and animal, this dissertation marks a new development in scholarship on French painting by arguing that pictorial innovations in history painting need to be understood within the context of the religious thought and politics that dominated the seventeenth century. Images of sacrifice constitute complex meditations on the very nature of the ritual, capable of providing insight into religious thought and artistic expression. Contested theology, anxiety over religious difference, and the power of dogma shape the execution of paintings in the era. Exploring how religion is enmeshed within artistic creation reveals the diversity of painting in the Grand Siècle. This analysis provides an alternative avenue of inquiry to the well-trodden narratives that view the century’s art, particularly among the artists of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, within a framework of largely secular developments. Instead, this project examines the theme of sacrifice as the crucial nexus where the complexities of religious thought are revealed. The seventeenth century occupies a vital place in French history. Between the proclamation of the Edict of Nantes in 1598 and its revocation in 1685, art underwent a cultural and social refashioning. Painters in the Académie codified a new style of painting focused on narration and historical specificity. This project argues that images of sacrifice emerged as a site of experimentation between artistic expression and religious doctrine. Painterly effects such as the manipulation of light, shadow, and color were implemented to reinterpret doctrine. Artists developed a range of creative responses to foundational and often contested narratives at the heart of religious thought. This dissertation is organized chronologically, in four case studies: The Circumcision of Christ by François de Nomé (1623), King Solomon Sacrificing to the Idols by Sébastien Bourdon (c. 1640), The Sacrifice of Jephthah’s Daughter by Charles Le Brun (1656), and The Sacrifice of Iphigenia by Charles de La Fosse (c. 1680). By exploring the work of these painters, this project recenters the artistic production of the period to encompass a wider group of artists than usually considered. An analysis of each image illustrates the critical issues French artists engaged with, from issues of identity to historic specificity and aesthetics. In Chapter One, François de Nomé employs shadow and light to generate a theological statement about the uniqueness of Christ’s sacrifice. This chapter suggests that de Nomé’s painting is best understood as a religious capriccio painting. The analysis proposes a new approach to the painter known for his fantasy architecture, arguing that his oeuvre is embedded within the rich discussions on religious meaning in the early seventeenth century. In Chapter Two, Sébastian Bourdon signals Huguenot theology within an image of Old Testament idolatry employing antiquarian objects from Roman religious rituals. Drawing from sources such as Guillaume Du Choul and Cesare Ripa, Bourdon creates an image of idolatry with blood sacrifice as its locus of meaning. Analyzing this painting reveals how the painter implements shadow and light to manipulate the viewer’s perception and to make a coded statement condemning Catholic liturgical practices. Within the realm of Academic aesthetics, biblical sacrifice became a site for developing classism and art theory. In Chapter Three, Charles Le Brun’s image of sacrifice verifies the universality of loss through the representation of human expression in reaction to tragic events. In this case study, narratives of femicide are mobilized by Le Brun to uphold a particular ontological vision of social order. In the last chapter, on Charles de La Fosse, golden washes of luminous color bind contemporary religious doctrine to the Sun King’s court, fashioning an image of the king as all-powerful. In this final chapter, art theory, theology and Racine’s tragedy Iphigenia form the backdrop for the painter in forging a style of painting representing the monarch’s grace through pagan mythology. The four artists explored in this dissertation implement innovations in painting to reinterpret contemporary religious thought. Beyond reflecting the religious context of the period, these painters engage with the subject of sacrifice to participate in contemporary discussions of religious doctrine. In so doing they contribute to the development of French artistic identity, inventing a modern Academic style of painting.
Recommended Citation
Seligman, Sarah Ana, "Painting Sacrifice: French Art, Antiquarianism and Doctrine in the Grand Siècle" (2023). Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations. 967.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/gsas_dissertations/967
