Painting By Etienne Villequin, 17th Century

Workshop of Etienne VILLEQUIN (1619–1688) 17th-century replica The Holy Family with Angels Oil on canvas 115 x 82 cm Canvas 123 x 88 cm. Unframed. Some of Etienne Villequin's compositions were the subject of engravings with prestigious dedications. Such was the case with a "Holy Family with Angels" (fig. 399a), the inscription on the print by Nicolas Pitau revealing a dedication to the Duke of Mazarin, nephew of the famous cardinal and collector of that name. This composition seems to have been particularly popular, as evidenced by the number of contemporary replicas. The painting we are presenting is one of these. Originally from Ferrières-en-Brie, Étienne 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 housed in the Church of Saint-Pothin in Lyon. Equally indicative of Étienne 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 scarcely collected as such.