Coronation with Allegorical Figures
1600 - 1638
Traditionally attributed to Jacques Blanchard
French
The foreground is dominated by seated women and cavorting putti, presumably representing various arts and virtues. At the extreme left, a woman with bare breasts (possibly Charity) holds a child on her lap, while next to her another figure (possibly Fidelity) restrains a dog. A pair of putti, one holding a slate (possibly Poetry), are just to the left of center, while beyond them two others hold a lute (possibly Music). Closing the frieze at the right is a seated woman with a sheet of paper and compasses at ther side (possibly Architecture). In the background, a man beneath a baldacchino crowns a kneeling figure. Four figures attend them on the dais, while a man and two conversing women observe the scene from the right.
Graphite and brown wash on cream antique laid paper, laid down on decorated paper, framing lines in brown ink