Charles Le Brun (1619-1690), Circle of - La Mort de Lucrétie / Le Serment de Brutus

- Brown ink on paper.

This magnificent French preparatory drawing was undoubtedly created with a grand painting in mind, and the perfect harmonization of perspective, figure, and classical architecture reveals the hand of a great master who clearly knew the fundamental works of the Italian Renaissance, as evidenced by the lateral vanishing point so characteristic of the Venetians. The originality of the composition, which traces a decisive diagonal between the recumbent body of Lucretia, still bearing the open dagger wound on her chest, and the pedestal from which Brutus delivers his speech against the tyranny of the Tarquins, is enhanced by a brilliant technical skill that allows the artist to draw most of the figures virtually alla prima with a very high degree of individualization and detail. This masterpiece of French classicism demonstrates the high creative capacity of the artists of Louis XIV's era to synthesize formulas from Italy into harmonious and sumptuous historical scenes.

The tragic death of Lucretia, the virtuous Roman patrician raped by Sextus Tarquinius (son of King Tarquinius Superbus), triggered the end of the Roman monarchy. After being raped, Lucretia publicly committed suicide before her father, her husband Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, and his friend Lucius Junius Brutus, demanding vengeance as a testament to her sullied honor. This act of sacrifice, seen as the ultimate proof of the tyranny and depravity of the royal family, prompted Brutus and Collatinus to swear an oath to depose the Tarquins. Rallying the people and the army with Lucretia's body as a symbol of injustice, they led a successful rebellion that forced the king's exile and the establishment of the Roman Republic in 509 BC.

Charles Le Brun (1619-1690) was the most influential artistic figure in 17th-century France and the architect of Louis XIV's cultural policy, centralizing artistic production at court to establish a national style. Initially trained in Paris and then in Rome (where he studied under Poussin), Le Brun returned to France imbued with the principles of the Italian classical and Baroque traditions. His genius lay in adapting these formulas to the glorification of absolute royal power. He was appointed First Painter to the King and, crucially, director of the Gobelins Manufactory and the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. From these positions, Le Brun imposed an official style based on compositional rigor, mastery of dramatic expression, and theatrical grandeur, unifying the production of all the decorative arts. His artistic program, which reached its zenith in the decoration of the Palace of Versailles, elevated a French taste rooted in Italian tradition, transforming it into a state art that projected the magnificence of France throughout Europe.

- Dimensions of the image without frame: 46 x 38 cm / 68 x 60 cm with gold framing and light blue passepartout from the mid-19th century.

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