Saint Paul
Joseph Chinard
(1756–1813)
1781
Object PlaceFrance
Medium/TechniqueTerracotta
DimensionsOverall: 59.5 x 23.5 x 20cm (23 7/16 x 9 1/4 x 7 7/8in.)
Credit LineFrank B. Bemis Fund and Mary S. and Edward J. Holmes Fund
Accession number1997.18
On View
On viewClassificationsSculpture
Collections
Chinard was the most gifted artist in Lyons during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. These beautifully modeled statuettes - Chinard's earliest known documented works - were commissioned for the private chapel of the Charcot family at their estate near Lyons. Strongly influenced by the seventeenth century Italian Baroque style, the statuettes were conceived as finished sculptures, not as models for larger works in another medium.
Provenance1781, M. Charcot, Lyon, France (original commission) [see note 1]; to his daughter, Mme. Mollière, Lyon; by descent within the family to M. and Mme. Mollière, Lyon; sold by M. and Mme. Mollière to Galerie Michel Descours, Lyon; 1997, sold by Michel Descours to the MFA. (Accession Date: March 26, 1997)NOTES:
[1] Two statuettes by Joseph Chinard (MFA accession nos. 1997.17 and 1997.18) were commissioned by Mr. Charcot for his private chapel. Their provenance was provided by the Galerie Michel Descours at the time of the acquisition.
Joseph Nollekens
Jean-Louis Lemoyne
second half of 18th century
