ANTOINE COYPEL
I66I-I722THIS DRAWING WAS FIRST IDENTIFIED BY SCHNAPPER
(1979-80) as a study by Coypel for the painting he exe-
cuted for the duc de Richelieu in 1692. Although it is
highly finished, Coypel made several important changes
in the composition of the painting.^1 In the latter there are
fewer figures, and most of those repeated from the draw-
ing are in somewhat altered poses. For example the
equestrian figure of Saint Longinus is shown riding for-
ward, while the gestures of the Virgin, Saint John, and
the Magdalen are much more restrained. There is also a
greater emphasis on sharp spotlighting, especially on the
central group. It is possible that the Museum's study was
made for presentation to the patron and that alterations
were made on the basis of other studies. The resulting
painting, exhibited twice at the Salon (1699 and 1704),
was received to great acclaim. Both painting and
drawing—the latter once attributed to Rubens (Galerie
Georges Petit 1920)—illustrate the triumph ofrubenisme
in France at the end of the seventeenth century.i. Sold, Sotheby's, Monaco, December 6 , 1987 , lot 66; To-
ronto, private collection.136 FRENCH SCHOOL • COYPEL54 The Crucifixion
Red and black chalk and white gouache heightening; H:
40.5 cm (i5I5/ióin.); W: 58.1 cm (22^7 /sin.)
88.GB.4i (SEE PLATEÓ)
MARKS AND INSCRIPTIONS: At bottom right corner,
collection mark of Alfred Beurdeley (L. 421).
PROVENANCE: Alfred Beurdeley, Paris (sale, Galerie
Georges Petit, Paris, June 10, 1920, lot 289); private col-
lection, France (sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, May 27, 1987,
lot 96); art market, London.
EXHIBITIONS: None.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: A. Schnapper, "The Moses of Antoine
Coypel," Bulletin of the Allen Memorial Art Museum 37,
no. 2 (1979-80), pp. 61-62; N. Gamier, "AntoineCoy-
pel 1661-1722," Cahiers du dessin français 6 (1989), pp. 6,
16, no. 10; idem, Antoine Coypel (1661-1722) (Paris,
1989), pp. 114, under no. 47; 193, no. 209.