Joseph CHRISTOPHE (Verdun 1662 – 1748 Paris)
Circa 1718-20
Saint Philip converts Candace's eunuch
Oil on canvas, 72 x 59 cm
PROVENANCE
- Private collection Italy;
- Acquired in 2024.
THE WORK
The painting in our gallery is a rare example of the art of early 18th-century painter-academician Joseph Christophe. Somewhat forgotten today, he nevertheless occupied the top of the academic hierarchy, having been promoted to the title of rector of the institution in 1744. It should be remembered that Joseph Christophe, originally from Verdun, had moved to Paris around 1680 before entering the studio of the Bon Boullogne brothers (1649-1717) and his younger brother Louis de Boullogne (1654-1733). In 1687, Joseph Christophe became the winner of the "Grand Prix" of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture but had to remain in Paris, for lack of a pension. Affiliated to the mastery of painters and sculptors, he obtained the commission for the prestigious May of Notre-Dame in 1696 (lost but known from a modello preserved in a private collection in Paris). In 1702, he was admitted to the Royal Academy as a history painter (Perseus cutting off the head of the Gorgon Medusa, Tours, Museum of Fine Arts). Royal commissions then followed one after the other: creation of cartoons for the stained-glass windows of the new royal chapel at the Château de Versailles (1708-1709), participation in "The History of the King" with a tapestry cartoon (The Baptism of the Dauphin, 1710, Château de Versailles), creation of three paintings for the Menagerie (1711; lost but known for one of them at the Château de Fontainebleau), participation in the decoration of the Salle des Machines at the Château des Tuileries (1720, lost). Alongside the best painters of his time (François Lemoyne, Jean-François de Troy, Louis Galloche, Henri de Favanne), Joseph Christophe was still to participate, in 1724, in the decoration of the private mansion of the Duke of Bourbon, in Versailles (current Hôtel-de-Ville; in situ).
One of the most original features of Joseph Christophe's art is his tendency to merge history painting and genre painting. He was undoubtedly introduced to this question through his teacher Bon Boullogne (who painted both historical subjects and genre scenes in the manner of the Dutch masters). Beyond this permeability of the prevailing pictorial categories, Joseph Christophe often gives his production a touch of irony (see Fr. Marandet, "Joseph Christophe (1662-1748), genre painter and history painter", La Revue des Musées de France, October 2008, no. 4, pp. 79-87). The opening of a Salon des Académiciens in 1704 was an opportunity for him to demonstrate this through a pair of paintings such as Duck Hunting by Young Boys and its companion piece, The Return from the Hunt (formerly at the Galerie Perrin, Paris). Now, our painting illustrates this phenomenon of fusion of genres and humor well. The artist illustrated the passage from the Acts of the Apostles during which Saint Philip, having accosted a high official, a eunuch of the Ethiopian queen Candace, converts him to Christianity while the latter is traveling to Jerusalem (Acts 8:26-38). Saint Philip announces to him that a formula from the Book of Isaiah, which the eunuch tries to interpret, signifies nothing other than the arrival of the Lord on earth. The latter then asks to be baptized and stops the chariot. It is therefore indeed a biblical subject, but the artist tends to transform his painting into a true genre scene. We would not see so much the moment of a conversion as a chariot and travelers in an exotic light. This is true of the palm tree, the oriental clothes, the eunuch and the dromedaries pulling the team. As for the strictly ironic meaning, it lies in the highlighting in the very foreground of the dromedaries, whereas one would expect them to play a subordinate role. The treatment reserved for the armed squires in the company of the dog, on the right, goes in the same direction: the interruption of the march arouses their incomprehension, hence this expression of stupefaction.
In terms of writing, we note the folds of the draperies taking on a floating appearance: the tunic of the squire in the foreground shows this well, as does the cloak of Saint Philip. This form of rhythmic vibration is exactly what we observe in Winter, genre scene preserved in the Cabinet d'arts graphiques of the Louvre which must date from the same period.
But the most important thing concerns the destination of our painting. Knowing that it illustrates the Acts of the Apostles, it could well have a link with the series of Mays of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, whose program was entirely drawn from this work. Beyond the iconographic question, we know that these Mays were conceived at the end of the 1710s, which would be compatible with the style of our painting of Christophe. In addition, he is reputed to have painted one of the Mays of 1717 (Saint Peter and Saint Barnabas Repelling the Sacrifices at Lystra; lost). The most troubling thing is that in 1718, the painter Nicolas Bertin was commissioned to paint the moment following that of our painting of Christophe: Saint Philip Baptizing the Eunuch of Candace (in situ, church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés; reduction in the Louvre). We then come to wonder if our painting is not a proposal from the artist with the aim of obtaining the commission for an additional May, perhaps that of 1718. The similarities between the two paintings are also disturbing: we observe the same configuration of the palm tree, on the left, a similar rocky peak, in the background, and the same highlighting of the dromedaries. Everything seems to prove that Bertin and Christophe exchanged their ideas on the occasion of this commission. It should be noted in passing that Claude-Guy Hallé, another participant in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés cycle, had represented Saint Paul in Malta, which is exactly the subject of Claude Verdot's May (known from a reduction in the Louvre; see Fr. Marandet, "New light on the career of Claude-Guy Hallé through twelve unpublished works", Les Cahiers d'Histoire de l'art, 2017, pp. 25-36).
Finally, we should point out the rarity of Joseph Christophe's testimonies in public collections. If we put aside the five "academies" produced by the artist as part of his teaching duties at the Royal Academy and the drawing that we found at the Louvre, we can hardly mention - in terms of paintings - anything other than the reception piece, the tapestry cartoon on "The History of the King" and its reduction (both at the Château de Versailles), the painting painted for the Ménagerie (Fontainebleau), and The Adoration of the Magi from the Dôle Museum, or only five paintings.
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