 |
| René-Antoine Houasse The Golden Vessel of Louis XIV and Vases on a carpet-covered Balustrade 1683 oil on plaster Château de Versailles |
"Yet it seems likely that Le Brun's authority over the Académie was principally ensured by his role as overseer of the main royal building works. On 29 March 1664, Berbier du Metz had launched an appeal for projects for the Grande Galerie du Louvre; although Académie officers and members alike submitted drawings, no further action was taken. With Le Brun now responsible for "the conduct and direction of paintings in all the royal houses," progress was made, but under monopolistic conditions; the premier peintre provided all the drawings or subjects for these "royal houses," including the Grande Galerie, and the artists of the Académie thus found themselves merely carrying out designs that had originated with Le Brun. He was, moreover, generously rewarded for his pains, receiving 4,800 livres for this responsibility and 4,000 as director of the Gobelins manufactory. We have no reliable testimony prior to the eighteenth century that the choice of artists was left to the premier peintre, but Le Brun's pique when he was not consulted about the subjects and choice of artists for the Gobelins tapestry cartoons in 1686 indicates that, under Colbert, he must have played a highly significant role in this field. A story told by Guillet de Saint-Georges is eloquent in this respect:
Monsieur Magnier was associated with the most upstanding of the former masters who, through the intervention of Monsieur Errard, again began negotiations with the Académie. Several assemblies were held to this end, among them one in the rooms of the archbishop's palace, at which it was decided that several masters would be received into the body of the Académie. Monsieur Legendre was the first to be admitted, without any obligation to have any of his works examined, since he had occupied guild offices and must therefore be considered competent: but unfortunate consequences would have arisen from this decision, and, therefore, in another assembly that took place in the former Hôtel de Grammont, Monsieur Le Brun argued that if all the masters were admitted without presenting one of their works for acceptance, no distinction would be made for the more able, and that the merits of some being thus confused with the incompetence of others, this would pave the way for disorder and injustice. At this, several masters apprehensive of the examination withdrew; but Monsieur Magnier was the first who offered to present work for examination. Monsieur Le Brun, in order to congratulate Monsieur Magnier on his reception and make clear to him that he would immediately be employed in the royal works, presented him with a drawing of the royal vessel that is placed on the sideboard of His Majesty's table whenever it is laid and told him to make a model of it in wood and wax, which was subsequently cast in gold by Monsieur Gravet."
 |
| Nicolas de Largillière Portrait of Charles Le Brun 1683-86 oil on canvas Musée du Louvre |
"Nicolas de Largillière, though born in France, had trained in Antwerp, and was conditionally accepted on 6 March 1683; the reception piece required of Largillière was a portrait of Le Brun, with the size of the painting "left to his discretion." On 6 March 1684, two officers of the Académie were appointed to watch him work: Gabriel Blanchard, a painter who was the main proponent of color, and the sculptor Étienne Le Hongre. The fact that the model himself was not in a position to verify that the picture was indeed painted by Largillière demonstrates that, with the exception of the face, the premier peintre cannot have posed for very long. Largillière was admitted on 30 March 1686, the requirement of a cash donation was waived, and he received a letter patent similar to those of the history painters. He was clearly a colorist, trained in Flanders, but Le Brun chose him, knowing that this was the image of him that would remain in the halls of the Académie. Many portraits of officers had already been painted, and it had been decided in December 1662 that a portrait of Le Brun was needed. The premier peintre seems to have waited for the painter who seemed to him best able to present his image for posterity; similarly he preferred to have Coysevox rather than his friend Girardon sculpt his bust."
 |
| Charles-Antoine Coysevox Bust of Charles Le Brun ca. 1671 marble Musée du Louvre |
"Pierre Mignard's refusal to join the Académie, which continued even after his companion in that refusal, Michel Anguier, had defected and been admitted in 1668, seems to have cast doubt on the authority of the premier peintre and the prestige of the Académie itself. The conflict remained latent until the death of Le Brun and the ultimate triumph of Mignard. Embellished it may be, but the account of the abbé de Monville shows the limits of absolute power:
Monsieur Colbert vainly attempted all possible means of conciliation, and things went so far that he sent Perrault, on whom he relied for part of the detailed administration of the Bâtiments, ordering him to tell Mignard "that if he persisted in his disobedience, he would be made to leave the kingdom." Perrault softened, insofar as he could, the harshness of his commission, but Mignard understood immediately what was implied. "Monsieur," he replied, "the king is the master, but if he orders me to quit the kingdom, I am happy to obey him and will leave at once. You understand, Monsieur, by the use of these five fingers, there is no country in Europe where I shall not enjoy greater consideration and a greater fortune that I do in France." The Surintendant, having heard this reply, clearly perceived that there could be no expectation of him changing his mind. He abandoned him to the general public, which compensated Mignard for the preference that the minister showed to Le Brun.
"Exceptional as his case was, Mignard is there to show that an artist could acquire real prestige while remaining outside the Académie and could even earn more by working for the public than by working for the king. What is more, the Académie's protectors also made use of Mignard: Colbert had him paint the baptismal chapel at the church of Saint-Eustache and twice commissioned his own portrait, and, during the 1670s, Mignard painted two portraits of the king that eclipsed those painted by Le Brun. This meant that excellent painters could be found outside the Académie – a situation that called into question the artistic monopoly that it sought to claim. . . . Despite this blow to its vanity, the Académie increasingly strengthened its stranglehold over painting and sculpture in France."
 |
| Pierre Mignard Louis XIV crowned by Victory 1673 oil on canvas Château de Versailles |
 |
| Pierre Mignard Self-portrait ca. 1690 oil on canvas Musée du Louvre |
– texts and quoted passages from The Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture: The Birth of the French School, 1648-1793 by Christian Michel, published in France in 2012, translated by Chris Miller and published by Getty Research Institute in 2018