Made around 1750, this group portrait is the work of Italian caricaturist Ghezzi. Before embarking on the design of Saint Genevieve, the architect, Jacques Germain Soufflot, traveled to Rome in an entourage that included Abel-François Poisson de Vandières (1727–1781), later known as the marquis de Marigny. As the brother of the marquise de Pompadour, Marigny had been chosen to direct the administration of the king’s building and would go on to oversee all aspects of royal funding for arts and architecture. He is seen at left discussing an architectural plan with Soufflot, just to the right.
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Artwork Details
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Title:The Marquis de Vandières, Abbé Jean-Bernard Le Blanc, Germain Soufflot, and Charles-Nicolas Cochin, the Younger
Artist:Pier Leone Ghezzi (Italian, Comunanza near Ascoli Piceno 1674–1755 Rome)
Date:ca. 1750
Medium:Pen and brown ink, over traces of black chalk
Dimensions:11 15/16 x 8 1/4in. (30.4 x 21cm)
Classification:Drawings
Credit Line:Rogers Fund, 1972
Object Number:1972.84
The Marquis de Vandières, Abbé Jean-Bernard Le Blanc, Jacques Germain Soufflot, and Charles-Nicolas Cochin, the Younger
Inscription: The figures are numbered from 1 to 4, following the order of the title at the lower border. Another set of numbers, arranged differently, has been partially effaced. The mount is inscribed in pen and brown ink at the lower border, (I) Monsieur de Vandier Direttore delle Fabbriche del Re di / Francia (2) L'Abbe Bianco (3) Monsr. Suffló (4) Monsr. Coscian; numbered in pen and brown ink in upper right corner of the old mount, 20.
Gerald Wellesley, 7th Duke of Wellington (British); Robert M. Light
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Drawings Recently Acquired, 1972–75," October 1, 1975–January 4, 1976.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Artists in Rome in the 18th Century: Drawings and Prints," February 28–May 7, 1978.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Drawings and Prints: Selections from the Permanent Collection," April 17–August 20, 1995.
Philadelphia Museum of Art. "Art in Rome in the Eighteenth Century," February 27, 2000–May 21, 2000.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. "Art in Rome in the Eighteenth Century," June 17, 2000–September 17, 2000.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Infinite Jest: Caricature and Satire from Leonardo to Levine," September 13, 2011–March 4, 2012.
"Departmental Accessions: Drawings." in Annual Report of the Trustees of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 1, 1971 - June 30, 1972. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, no. 102, New York, 1972, p. 40.
Jacob Bean European Drawings Recently Acquired, 1972–1975. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1975, cat. no. 20.
Jacob Bean Artists in Rome in the 18th Century: Drawings and Prints Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (February 7 - May 7, 1978). New York, 1978.
Michel Gallet and others Soufflot et son temps 1780 - 1980. Exh. cat. Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques et des Sites, Paris, Paris, 1980, cat. no. 76.
Alain Charre L'oeuvre de Soufflot à Lyon: Études et documents. University of Lyon, Lyon, 1982, fig. no. 88, pp. 172, 228.
James Byam Shaw The Italian Drawings of the Frits Lugt Collection. vol. 1, Paris, 1983, cat. no. 186, fig. no. 186, p. 187, ill.
Jacob Bean, William M. Griswold 18th Century Italian Drawings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Exh. cat. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1990, cat. no. 69, fig. no. 69, p. 86, ill.
Alden R. Gordon "Jérôme-Charles Bellicard's Italian Notebook of 1750-51: The Discoveries at Herculaneum and Observations on Ancient and Modern Architecture." in The Metropolitan Museum Journal. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, vol. 25, New York, 1990, fig. no. 1, p. 50, ill.
Donald Posner "Mme. de Pompadour as a Patron of the Visual Arts." Art Bulletin. vol. 72, March 1990, fig. no. 4, p. 81, ill.
Edgar Peters Bowron, Edgar Peters Bowron, Joseph J. Rishel, Philadelphia Museum of Art Art in Rome in the Eighteenth Century. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 2000, (entry by Anna Lo Bianco), cat. no. 355, p. 511, ill.
Nadine Orenstein, Constance C. McPhee Infinite Jest: Caricature and Satire from Leonardo to Levine Exh. cat.: September 13, 2011 - March 4, 2012. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Haven and London, 2011, cat. no. 112, p. 144 (entry by Constance McPhee), ill.
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