Feast of the Company of Archers, 1872
Léon-Augustin Lhermitteexpand_more
Charcoal and brown chalk on cream paperexpand_more
Gift of Dr. Gabriel P. and Yvonne M.L. Weisbergexpand_more 2021.67.2
Not on Viewexpand_more
The local Company of Archers has assembled in the parish church to receive a blessing from the priest. Several of the men standing at the upper left are holding longbows. Companies or guilds of Archers were formed in the Middle Ages as a communal form of self protection. By 1872, such guilds had outlived their original purpose, but they remained as fraternal organizations steeped in tradition and communal pride. Léon Lhermitte made the drawing in the village of Beauvardes, about 60 miles from Paris and less than a two hour walk from his home town of Mont-Saint-Père. With the possible exception of the altar boys, everyone in the church seems warmly dressed. No wonder, because the date is probably January 20, the feast day of Saint Sebastian, whose martyrdom involved being shot through with arrows and who went on to serve as the patron saint of Archers' guilds. A sculpture of Saint Sebastion appears beneath the window at the upper left. Though the scene is quite convincing, we should be cautious of taking it too literally, for, at least in part, Lhermitte staged it, casting his father, Jaques Lhermitte, and his uncle (and future father-in-law) Goudard in the roles of the two cantors.
Details
- Title
- Feast of the Company of Archers
- Artist Life
- Mont-Saint-Père, Aisne 1844–Paris 1925
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2021.67.2
- Provenance
- Atelier of the artist; private collection, Pyla, France; private collection, Paris (1982); [Galerie Fischer-Kiener, Paris; to Weisberg]; Yvonne and Gabriel Weisberg, Minneapolis (until 2021; given to Mia)
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Le Pelley Fonteny 325.65
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These 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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