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Louis-Félix Delarue
Louis-Félix de La Rue (1730-1777)  The Baptism of Carloman, drawing

circa 1770

About the Item

Louis-Félix de La Rue (1730-1777)  The Baptism of Carloman Pen and back ink on paper 13.3 x 16 cm Inscribed in the lower border "Le Pape baptise Carloman, fils ainé de Charlemagne" (The Pope baptizes Carloman, Charlemagne's eldest son) In good condition In a vintage frame under glass 24 x 26,8 cm (losses in the gilding and damages) The unmistakeable style of Louis-Felix de la Rue is instantly recognisable. The nervous handling of the pen, the profusion of detail and the way he draws the characters - quite amusing, in fact, when you look at the spectators in the background. You can see that he had a lot of fun imagining a historical scene in this drawing. It is precisely in the choice of subject that La Rue surprises us once again. We know that he was particularly fond of dealing with mythology and scenes from antiquity, using riddles and a very personal tone, but here he deals with a rather obscure episode in French history. In the 18th century, it was unusual to deal with national history. We can always assume that it was commissioned by a learned person. But knowing the elusive nature of the artist, we can also think that he wanted once again to distinguish himself and surprise fans of his work. All of which makes this new drawing by the artist particularly interesting and endearing. Louis-Félix de La Rue was born on October 19, 1730 in Paris, where he died on June 24, 1777. He was a draughtsman and sculptor, older brother of Philibert-Benoît de la Rue. De La Rue was trained in the studio of the celebrated sculptor Lambert-Sigisbert Adam (1700-1759), where he may have met the young Clodion who, although some years Delarue’s junior, also worked under Adam. He won the prix de Rome in 1750 with a bas relief entitled "Abraham rendant grâces à Dieu de la délivrance de son fils" and became pensionnaire of the École royale des élèves protégés between 1752 and 1754. In this role, De La Rue presented a group entitled Bacchante qui enivre des enfants and four bas-reliefs of the Saisons to the king during an exhibition at Versailles in 1754. Before going to Rome in November 1754, he worked under the direction of Jean-Jacques Bachelier at the Manufacture de Vincennes, where he made several groups of frolicking infants, including two presse-papiers models, referred to as ‘plaques à papiers La Rue’. Upon returning to the Académie de France in Rome, of which Natoire was the then director, he was admitted into the Academy of Saint Luke on 13 September 1760. Subsequently, De La Rue was named Professor in 1762. After 1764, De La Rue disappears from the official record and, tragically, is believed to have been plagued by physical frailty and mental illness.
  • Creator:
    Louis-Félix Delarue (1730 - 1777)
  • Creation Year:
    circa 1770
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 5.24 in (13.3 cm)Width: 6.3 in (16 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
    1770-1779
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Paris, FR
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: Inv 7621stDibs: LU1112214743732

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