Study for Notre Dame de la Croix, Paris (recto); Nude Angel (verso), Jules Louis Machard | Mia

recto: old man with long beard and moustache, wearing a hooded cloak, with his PL arm and part of his body hidden by a wall; verso: study of a nude winged figure with arms up toward right, looking toward left; study of a hand holding a curved baton (?) in ULC — Study for Notre Dame de la Croix, Paris (recto); Nude Angel (verso), c. 1870
Jules Louis Machard
Red chalk on tan paper
Bequest of Harry Drake 2013.35.731
Not on View
In 1865 the painter Jules Louis Machard, then age 26, won a prestigious prize, which funded an extended stay in Rome. There he soaked up the styles and techniques of great artists from the past. In this moving drawing of a man peering from behind a wall, Machard seems to borrow from Raphael (1483–1520), who often partially obscured figures for dramatic effect. An inscription tells us that Machard drew this for an important commission that he won in Paris to paint scenes of the lives of Mary and her son, Jesus, for the church Notre Dame de la Croix (Our Lady of the Cross). The man, an apostle, seems amazed. Machard probably intended to use him as an onlooker in The Assumption, in which angels carry the Virgin Mary into heaven.

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Details

Title: Study for Notre Dame de la Croix, Paris (recto); Nude Angel (verso)
Dated: c. 1870
Artist: Jules Louis Machard
Nationality: French
Artist Life: 1839–1900
Role: Artist
Gallery: Not on View
Department: European Art
Dimension: 17 5/16 x 11 7/16 in. (43.97 x 29.05 cm) (sheet)
Credit: Bequest of Harry Drake
Accession Number: 2013.35.731
Medium: Red chalk on tan paper
Country: France
Century: 19th century
Provenance: [David & Constance Yates Fine Drawings, New York, until 1985; sold in October for AOO, to Drake]; Harry Drake, St. Paul (1985-d. 2012; bequeathed to MIA)
Rights: Public Domain
Classification: Drawings
Object Name: Drawing
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Curator Approved: This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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