Jacques Courtois dit Le Bourguignon maitre de Joseph Parrocel (Saint-Hyppolite 1621 - Rome 1676) Choc de Cavalerie Scène de bataille huile sur toile XVIIème siècle 17ème Louis XIV

Jacques COURTOIS, CALLED LE BOURGUIGNON (SAINT-HIPPOLITE 1621-1676 ROME) Cavalry clash Oil on canvas on stretcher frame (re-lined in the 19th century) 28cm X 38 cm Work sold without frame. "Among the painters of this period in Europe, no one equaled Courtois in the expression of the horror of the battle", thus is described our artist by Bernini. This striking painting shows the brutal clash of enemy horsemen as the battle rages around them. Clouds of smoke rise behind the riders, mixed with the dust kicked up by their horses. It is all the genius of Jacques Courtois in the evocation of combat that we find at work here. Alternately mercenary and painter, jolly fellow and Jesuit father, his eventful life is reflected in the whirlwind battles of his canvases. Son of a Franche-Comté painter, he left for Italy to train with his brother, and decided in Milan to join a regiment in the service of the King of Spain, before experiencing success thanks to his paintings. Jealous husband accused of having poisoned his wife, he takes refuge with the Jesuits, and ends up becoming a priest. In parallel with this eventful life, he quickly devoted himself to painting and worked on several sites where he became friends with Emilian painters, notably Guido Reni (1575-1642) and Albane (1578-1660). He perfected his apprenticeship with Jan Asselyn (1610-1652), painter of battles, and definitely specialized in this genre, in which he achieved an impressive mastery. Source E Bénézit editions Grund