Workshop Of Etienne Villequin 17th Century

Workshop of Etienne VILLEQUIN 1619 – 1688) Replica from the 17th century The Holy Family with Angels Oil on canvas 115 x 82 Frame 123 x 88 cm. Painting with ear in the upper part Unframed Some compositions by Etienne Villequin were the subject of engravings with prestigious dedications. This was the case of a “Holy Family with Angels” (fig. 399a) the letter of the print by Nicolas Pitau revealing a dedication to the Duke of Mazarin, nephew of the famous cardinal and collector of this name. This composition seems to have been particularly popular, as evidenced by the number of period replicas. The painting we are presenting is one of these examples. Originally from Ferrières-en-Brie, Etienne Villequin had spent some time in Rome and must have been sufficiently renowned, upon his return to Paris, to have received the commission for the prestigious May of Notre-Dame in 1655, now preserved in the church of Saint-Pothin in Lyon. Equally symptomatic of Etienne Villequin's renown is the presence of two of his paintings in the collections of King Louis XIV, at a time when contemporary French painting was barely collected as such.