Circle of CHARLES LE BRUN (Paris, 1619-1690)."Saint Geneviève, patron saint of Paris.Oil on canvas.

Circle of CHARLES LE BRUN (Paris, 1619-1690).
"Saint Geneviève, patron saint of Paris.
Oil on canvas.
Preserves its original canvas.
It has repainting and restorations.
It has an 18th century frame.
Measurements: 234 x 170 cm; 247 x 184 cm (frame).
In this work the artist harmonises two different themes, firstly, he configures a religious image, dominated by the presence of a saint in genuflection, accompanied by an angel and a cherub, while the back area shows a landscape in which a war is taking place. This shows the decisive role of the saint in the resolution of the conflict, in fact, one of the most notable characteristics is to be found in the small head of the cherub, who is blowing, thus indicating a new course in the war, caused by the presence of Saint Geneviève. In the lower middle section, a small still life consisting of a book, some keys and a skein of thread, serve to identify the protagonist, as these are the iconographic attributes of Saint Geneviève, who in addition always carries a large candle, as in this specific case. Saint Genevieve (c. 419/422 AD - 502/512 AD) is the patron saint of Paris according to Roman Catholic and Orthodox tradition. Genevieve (as she is known in France) was born in Nanterre and moved to Paris. After meeting Germanus of Auxerre and Lupus of Troyes, she devoted herself to Christian life. In 451 she led a "prayer marathon" that is said to have saved Paris by routing Attila's Huns from the city. When the Germanic king Childeric I besieged the city in 464, Genevieve acted as an intermediary between the city and its besiegers, collecting food and convincing Childeric to release his prisoners. Her following and her status as patron saint of Paris were promoted by Clotilde, who may have commissioned the writing of her life. This was probably written in Tours, where Clotilde retired after the death of her husband, as is also shown by the importance of Martin of Tours as a saintly model.
The technical characteristics bring this work close to the production of Charles Le Brun, who was a French painter and important art theorist. He trained in Simon Vouet's studio as a child, receiving commissions from Cardinal Richeliu at the age of fifteen. Between 1642 and 1646 he was in Rome, where he came into contact with works by Raphael, Guido Reni, the Bolognese school, etc., and where he was also a pupil of Poussin. He returned to Paris and continued with an important body of work, reaching his stylistic maturity towards the middle of the century (classicist and elegant painting). He was ennobled by Louis XIV, who appointed him Premier Peintre du Roi in 1664. His work is preserved in the Louvre in Paris, Versailles, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, USA), the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon (France), the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg (Russia), the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. (USA), the Rijksmuseum in St. Petersburg (Russia), the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. (USA), the Rijksmuseum in Paris (France), and the Rijksmuseum in Paris (France). (United States), the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, etc.