Saint Isbergue, Sister Of Charlemagne, Receives Advice From Saint Venant To Enter Religion

100 cm by 120 cm.

Oil on canvas, circa 1830-1840, in a handsome gilded wood frame richly decorated with acanthus leaves. At the top, Charlemagne's coat of arms (Empire and France).

We observe Charlemagne in the center, his sister imploring him to support her in her refusal to marry. At his side, Saint Venant, also pleading with the king. To the left, princes are seen conversing; it is one of them who, according to the story, was destined for marriage with Sainte Isbergue.

There is a repentance at the sword of the figure to Charlemagne's left, which often indicates that this is an original work.

This is a medieval and later legend (in the sense of the story). The figure of Sainte Isbergue symbolizes the feminine religious vocation in the face of family and political obligations.

We are typically in Restoration-era painting. Following the Empire, the new monarchy needed to legitimize itself; it would not hesitate to appeal to the glorious past of French medieval times.
The monumental Battle of Poitiers (1837, Versailles, by Charles de Steuben) remains the typical example of this legitimization through art.