Noël Coypel, painter to the King

Following on from Versailles (see article), the Noël Coypel retrospective is now on show at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rennes (ill. 1). But they are not the same exhibition, even though the two share a common catalogue. The first focused on painted decors, from the Parlement de Bretagne executed with Charles Errard to the Versailles decors. The exhibition in Rennes, on the other hand, covers the whole of Errard’s career, providing a more comprehensive overview of the painter’s art.

1. View of the exhibition
Photo: Didier Rykner

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We will not repeat here what was explained in the article by Bénédicte Bonnet Saint-Georges, in particular Coypel’s career in the service of royal building sites. Instead, we will focus on some of the works on display in Rennes, many of which are unpublished or little-known. In particular, we will be appreciating the loans from numerous private collections of drawings and paintings, as well as paintings from museums that do not always exhibit them.
In this article, we would like to highlight a number of works not shown at Versailles, either because of their interest or because the exhibition provides an opportunity to discover them, as well as the paintings and drawings on loan from the Musée du Grand Siècle in Saint-Cloud. The museums’ recent acquisitions, which we report on regularly, include the entire collection donated by Pierre Rosenberg, and we regularly unveil certain works, particularly when they are shown to the public.

2. After Noël Coypel (1628-1707)
Manufacture des Gobelins, Le Febvre workshop
The Triumph of Venus, 1702-1708
Tapestry in wool, silk and gold thread - 543 x 710 cm
Paris, Mobilier national
Photo: Didier Rykner

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3. After Noël Coypel (1628-1707)
Workshop of Le Febvre
The Triumph of Religion, also known as
Faith Among the Virtues, 1690-1694
Tapestry in wool, silk and gold thread - 483 x 507 cm
Paris, Mobilier national
Photo: Didier Rykner

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If at Versailles the exhibition concluded with tapestry cartoons, the one in Rennes begins with the presentation of the Triumphs of the Gods hanging, several weavings of which are kept at the Mobilier national. A piece of all the tapestries in this group is on display (ill. 2 and 3), which is possible thanks to the vast space of the museum’s central atrium. Only one, for lack of space, is shown with a fragment, but this allows it to be hung at a good height next to a study.

4. Noël Coypel (1628-1707)
The Oath of Hannibal, c. 1680 ?
Oil on canvas - 65.4 x 81 cm
France, private collection
Photo: Didier Rykner

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We then move on, before reaching the exhibition rooms proper, to a corridor showing several portraits, including that of Noël Coypel by the little-known Florent de la Mare-Richart, which belongs to the Château de Versailles, and the only known painting of Madeleine…