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The painting is 30 ¾" x 24 ½" in
size and is in a handsome frame of the period measuring
43” x 34”.
It was purchased in London
in 1972 as painted by LeBrun.
That would be Charles LeBrun,
the designer of Versailles and court painter to Louis
XIV who painted in the seventeenth century and has many
paintings exhibited in leading museums of the world,
including the Hermitage and
the Louvre.
LeBrun only signed two of
his many paintings.
The painting is in very good
condition. It is entitled “The Return of the
Prodigal Son”
LeBlanc, the owner, has visited
most of the leading art museums of the world and to his
eye it was painted by LeBrun, due to its similarity to
other paintings by LeBrun and other evidences.
As with all works of art
that are not signed there is usually a dispute over the
actual painter, and this case would be no exception.
1. The salient factor
in LeBrun’s paintings was his expert draftsmanship,
which is evident in this painting. The subject painting
is particularly outstanding on this score. There is no
smudginess of line. The figures and objects are always
clearly defined.
2. LeBrun
was prone to place a Roman building in background, due
to his intensive study of Roman architecture. The same
Roman type buildings and the same colors and treatment
are used in “Alexander’s Entry into Babylon ” in
the Louvre.
3. The use of
colors and tints by a painter are quite personal. The
practiced eye would focus on the robes of the women in
blue and gold as in “Moses Defending the Daughter
of Jethro” in the Museum of Modena, as well as
in “Meleager and Atlanta at
the Hunt” and in “The Death of Meleager”. The
gold in the dress of the daughter of Jethro is of the
same tint as the woman in the left background of the
subject painting.
4. Many famous
artists used the same model repeatedly. The models in
this painting seemed to be the same as used by LeBrun
in “Moses Defending the Daughters of Jethro” and
in the “The Sacrifice of Jephte” in the Uffizi
and “Sante Madeleine Repentente” in the Louvre.
5. The treatment
of garments in “Theseus Abandons Ariadne at Naxos ” and
in “Alexander and Porus” is the same as in
the subject painting.
6. As noted in
the authoritative book by Michel Gareau, “Charles
LeBrun, First Painter to Louis XIV” LeBrun made
a diagonal division of a painting with provision for
sufficient light in the sky to evoke contrast between
the lighter and darker diagonal elements. This is evident
in the subject painting.
7. Gareau wrote
in analyzing “Theseus Abandons Ariadne at Naxos ” that
:LeBrun was in fact not fond of landscapes. He preferred
to devote his time to the principal scene, particularly
to the details of the figures and their clothing and
armor.” He points out that LeBrun had mastered
the technique of representing hands, arms and feet. This
talent is obvious in the subject painting.
8. LeBrun also
had a great interest in faces. A close and detailed study
of the face of the father in the painting reinforces
the conviction that it could have only been painted by
a master painter such as LeBrun.
9. Many painters,
including Rembrandt, painted “The Return of the
Prodigal Son”. It is unlikely, considering his
other works, that LeBrun would not have painted one.
There is no other work by LeBrun on the subject.
Whether the painting is from
the hand of LeBrun, which we strongly believe, or one
of his disciples, it is a beautiful painting executed
by a master artist. |
