Where to See Philippe de Champaigne

28 more museums hold works by Philippe de Champaigne with smaller collections, not listed here.

• Where can I see Philippe de Champaigne's work?+

  Philippe de Champaigne's paintings can be viewed in several locations. The Musée du Louvre in Paris holds *The Last Supper* (1652) and *Ex Voto* (1662). The National Gallery, London, owns his *Triple Portrait of Richelieu*. The Wallace Collection, also in London, possesses *Marriage of the Virgin* (1644). Other works can be found in the Moussalli Collection, Paris. Champaigne, born in Brussels, became a naturalised French citizen and a portrait painter at the court of King Louis XIII. He decorated parts of the Palais du Luxembourg and the Sorbonne. His portraits of Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu are particularly well known. Anne of Austria commissioned a series of twelve paintings from the life of St Benedict for Val-de-Grâce.
• What should I know about Philippe de Champaigne's prints?+

  Philippe de Champaigne (1602-1674) was a prolific painter, and while he is not as widely known for printmaking, prints were made after his paintings. Prints related to de Champaigne's work often took the form of engravings. These engravings served to disseminate his compositions to a wider audience. One example involves the work of Pierre Louis Surugue (1716-1772), who created engravings in 1754 after paintings then thought to be by Rembrandt. Surugue's prints, such as "Philosophe en contemplation", reproduced paintings in reverse. W. Baillie also created prints after the same paintings. Prints like these provide a record of paintings and their attributions at a specific time. The paintings Surugue engraved were, at one time, believed to be companion pieces by Rembrandt. Later scholarship suggests one of the paintings was a fabrication of inferior quality. The pair were sold together in Amsterdam as "two pieces of philosophers, by the same" in 1734. Prints after paintings offer insight into the collecting and art historical analysis of the period.
• Why are Philippe de Champaigne's works important today?+

  Philippe de Champaigne, born in Brussels in 1602 and deceased in Paris in 1674, was a significant painter, particularly at the French court. He trained with Jean Bouillon and Michel de Bourdeaux, absorbing Mannerist influences. Later, the works of Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck impacted his style, especially his portraits. Champaigne moved to Paris in 1621. There, he collaborated with Nicolas Poussin on decorations for the Palais du Luxembourg. By 1629, he was a favoured artist of Marie de’ Medici and Cardinal Richelieu. He is known for portraits of Louis XIII and Richelieu; these combined French elegance with Flemish psychological insight. A triple portrait of Richelieu is in London's National Gallery. His later works reflected his increasing involvement with the Jansenist movement. This is evident in his portrait of Pascal and the Ex-Voto (Louvre, Paris). The Ex-Voto commemorates the cure of his daughter, a nun at Port-Royal. Champaigne's wife died in 1638, and two daughters became nuns. His youngest daughter died in 1655; the elder took her vows in 1656. These personal events shaped the spirituality expressed in his art.
• What techniques or materials did Philippe de Champaigne use?+

  Philippe de Champaigne, active in France during the seventeenth century, employed techniques common to the period, including oil painting. Knowledge of such methods was often closely guarded by guilds. Manuals and "books of secrets" offered instruction on preparing pigments and supports. Seventeenth-century painters regarded oil painting as relatively new. Mixing the medium was a challenge. One common suggestion involved nut oil and lead white thickened by sunlight. Turpentine could be added to layers of lead white or grisaille to speed drying. Canvas was stretched, smoothed with pumice, sized with glue, and given a double ground. The first ground layer was coloured with raw umber and red brown, applied with a knife. The second used lead white with a small amount of carbon black to make grey. For panels, three layers of fine chalk ground were recommended, followed by another glue layer or a grey oil layer.
• Who did Philippe de Champaigne influence?+

  Philippe de Champaigne's artistic connections included early collaboration with Nicolas Poussin on decorations for the Palais du Luxembourg around 1624. He offered an alternative to Poussin's stoic representations, and to the classicised style of Simon Vouet. Champaigne's early training involved exposure to Mannerism from Jean Bouillon and Michel de Bourdeaux. The works of Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck also impacted him, especially regarding his portraits. Jacques Fouquiéres, with whom Champaigne studied, had worked with Rubens. Later in his career, Champaigne moved away from official painting, becoming involved with the Jansenist movement. His association with Port-Royal, and figures such as Blaise Pascal, influenced his style. His painting achieved a formal purity in its portrayal of ascetic figures, while retaining the grandeur of his early portraits.
• Who influenced Philippe de Champaigne?+

  Philippe de Champaigne, born in Brussels in 1602, absorbed a range of influences that shaped his artistic style. Early on, he trained with Jean Bouillon and Michel de Bourdeaux, who exposed him to Mannerism. The works of Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, well represented in Mons, had a significant impact on his portraits. Jacques Fouquiéres, with whom Champaigne worked upon his return to Brussels, also influenced him. Moving to Paris in 1621, Champaigne joined Georges Lallemand's studio. He met Nicolas Poussin around 1624, and they collaborated on decorating the Palais du Luxembourg for Marie de’ Medici. Later, Champaigne's style combined French elegance with a Flemish psychological insight, particularly evident in his portraits of Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu. As he became involved with the Jansenist movement, his art took on a more spiritual quality. This is demonstrated by his portrait of Pascal and the Ex-Voto, painted after his daughter's miraculous recovery.
• What is Philippe de Champaigne's most famous work?+

  Philippe de Champaigne was a Flemish-born painter who became a leading portraitist at the court of Marie de Médici and Louis XIII. He is known for his portraits, especially those of Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu. These paintings combine French elegance with a psychological penetration of Flemish origin. One well-known painting is a full-length study of Cardinal Richelieu. A triple portrait of Richelieu is in the National Gallery, London. After personal losses, including the deaths of his wife in 1638 and his son in 1642, Champaigne's Catholic faith found expression in his art. Both his daughters entered the convent of Port-Royal. His painting *Ex Voto* (1662; Musée National du Louvre, Paris) is closely linked with his personal sentiments. It depicts two nuns, one of whom is the artist's daughter Cathérine, who had recovered from paralysis after prayer. The painting focuses on prayer rather than the miraculous healing itself.
• What style or movement did Philippe de Champaigne belong to?+

  Philippe de Champaigne (1602-1674) was a painter of Flemish origin who became a naturalised French citizen. He is generally associated with the Baroque style; however, his work moved away from some of its characteristics later in his career. Champaigne trained with Jean Bouillon and Michel de Bourdeaux, who exposed him to Mannerism. The works of Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck also had a considerable impact on him. In 1621, he moved to Paris and worked with Nicolas Poussin on decorating the Palais du Luxembourg for Marie de’ Medici. By 1629, he was the favoured artist of both Marie de’ Medici and Cardinal Richelieu, painting portraits of them and other members of the court of King Louis XIII. As he became more involved with the Jansenist movement, Champaigne began to move away from official painting. His painting achieved a formal purity in its portrayal of ascetic figures, while retaining the grandeur of his early portraits. One example is the Ex-Voto (1662) painted for the miraculous cure of his daughter.