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| Jacques Stella (Lyon 1596 - Paris 1657) |
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Virgin and Child
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated, middle left: J.Stella fecit 1644
83.5 x 69 cm
32 7/8 x 27 1/8 in.
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Provenance:
Central France, private collection
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This newly rediscovered painting of The Virgin and Child by Jacques Stella dates from the artist’s late activity in the mid 1640’s. This period marked a pivotal moment in Stella’s career, as he had recently returned to Paris from Rome, where he imbued himself with the works of Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665). Examples of paintings produced by Stella from the mid 1640s include The Baptism of Christ (1645; Paris, église St Louis-en-l’Ile) and Cloelia Crossing the Tiber (c. 1650; Château de Fontainebleau). Stella helped popularise the new taste for French classicism, of which he became a key proponent.
Stella developed a monumental yet elegant style, as is evident in our painting, where the carefully posed figures stand out against an austere architectural backdrop. Baby Jesus is seated on the Virgin’s lap and holds an apple in his hands, a symbol of the original sin and the redemption Jesus will soon bring about. Stella explored the theme of the life of the Virgin on numerous occasions in his paintings, most often in small scale. However, the unusual dimensions of our painting, between a cabinet picture and a large-scale work, make it considerably rare in the oeuvre of Stella. The painting of The Holy Family with fruits (c. 1650; Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Angers), albeit smaller in size, bears strong similarities with our painting: the Virgin contemplates baby Jesus seated on her lap who also holds an apple, evoking the same symbolism of the original sin and redemption.
Born to a family of Flemish artists in Lyon – his father François Stella (1563–1605) was a painter and merchant, his brother François was also a painter, his sister Françoise was a pastel artist and his other sister Madeleine was a sculptor – Jacques Stella spent much of his life in Italy before accomplishing a brilliant career in Paris. He may have worked in the studio of Horace Le Blanc before travelling to Italy in 1619, first to Florence where he worked for the court of Cosimo II de’ Medici, and met Nicolas Poussin. He is recorded in Rome in 1623, where he stayed for about ten years, developing a friendship with Poussin. Stella also came to know the art of Raphael, the Carracci and Domenichino whilst he was in Rome. Stella returned to France in 1634, passing through Venice, Lombardy and Lyon. Back in Paris, he became the official painter to Cardinal Richelieu providing works for the Palais Cardinal in Paris and the Château de Richelieu. From 1640 to 1642, he executed several major religious commissions, namely the decoration of the chapel of the Jesuit Noviate in Paris where he collaborated with Simon Vouet and Poussin, and the Carmelites in rue Saint Jacques. He received many official favours, notably a royal warrant as Peintre du Roi and a dwelling at the Louvre. The end of Stella’s life was overshadowed by illness. Several of his nieces and nephews continued the family tradition for painting, including Antoine Bouzonnet-Stella (1636–1682), François Bouzonnet-Stella (1638–1691/92) and Antoinette Bouzonnet-Stella (1641–1676).
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