The Mass of Saint Basil - Subleyras

Artist :

Subleyras, Pierre Hubert (1699-1749)

Date :

Entre 1747 et 1749

Type of image :

Peinture sur toile

Dimensions (HxL cm) :

134x78 cm

Topic :

Histoire sacrée. Saint Basile

Storage Location :

Paris, Musée du Louvre

inv. 8004

Description

The Mass of St. Basil, and the fainting of Emperor Valens, protector of the Arian heresy.

This episode takes place in Caesarea in 373, in the midst of the conflict between the Arian heresy, supported by Emperor Valens, and Christian orthodoxy, championed by Basil, Bishop of Caesarea. In the end, Valens went to Caesarea himself, to bring Basil to heel. But, impressed by the personality of his opponent, he renounces any action against him.

History :

2. In addition to the original in the Church of St. Mary of the Angels, a counterpart to Pompeo Batoni's The Fall of Simon Magus, there is a version in St. Petersburg and a mosaic in St. Peter's in Rome. This version has been mentioned since 1755. The first version of the painting, painted for Saint-Pierre and then installed at Sainte-Marie-des-Anges after the mosaic was made, is signed and dated 1747.

Collection Randon de Boisset until its sale, February 27, 1777, n°181; acquired through the expert Rémy, for the king; in the Pavillon Neuf of the Louvre in early 1785; exhibited in the Louvre at its creation in 1792-93, in Versailles in 1802 (La Messe blanche); back in the Louvre in 1811.

Indexed items :

Perspective d’architecture

Personnage de dos

Marches

Les personnages font cercle autour de la scène

Chérubin(s)

Bas de colonne(s)

Textual Sources :

Grégoire de Naziance (330-390), Éloge funèbre de Basile

Les Incas, chap. 52, éd. 1777, t.2, p. 357

Technical Data

Notice #000809

Image HD

Past ID :

A0128

Image editing :

Image web

Image Origin :

Collections en ligne du Musée du Louvre, Paris (https://collections.louvre.fr)

Paris, Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Jean Schormans

Reproduction interdite. Les notices sont la propriété de leurs auteurs et ne peuvent être reproduites ni faire l’objet de quelque transaction que ce soit sans leur autorisation expresse et écrite.