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A King of Judah and Israel

n.d.
Not on view
Fréminet, who had built a considerable reputation in Italy, was summoned back to France in 1602 by the French king, Henri IV who, two years later, put him in charge of decorating the vault of the chapel of the Trinity at the château of Fontainebleau. Fréminet’s concept was for a compartmentalized ceiling featuring scenes in oil on plaster within a complex scheme of painted and gilt stucco ornament. This study is preparatory for one of the eight standing figures of kings of Judah and Israel which punctuate the side walls.

The figure’s strength and regal bearing are expressed in the lively ink line delineating the musculature and Roman military costume, while the anatomy is further accentuated with a smoky shading in black chalk and touches of white chalk. Drawn as if seen from below, the king stands in contrapposto, his right hand on his hip, recalling the muscular figure types of Michelangelo as well as the ancient statues of warriors and gods that Fréminet studied during his Roman sojourn. Overlaying these elements, is a lush and elegant sensibility derived from the richly textured milieu of the château of Fontainebleau where subjects of mythology, history, and religion were everywhere interwoven with a playful vocabulary of ornament and fantasy.

Perrin Stein, May, 2014

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A King of Judah and Israel
  • Artist: Martin Fréminet (French, Paris 1567–1619 Paris)
  • Date: n.d.
  • Medium: Pen and brown ink, black chalk with heightening in white
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 17 1/8 x 10 5/16 in. (43.5 x 26.2 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Mary Trumbull Adams, Van Day Truex, and Harry G. Sperling Funds, 2011
  • Object Number: 2011.319
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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The Annunciation, Martin Fréminet French, Black chalk, pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, heightened with white. The architectural elements along the upper margin, including the cornice and the coat of arms, were drawn on a separate sheet, silhouetted and laid down.
The Annunciation
Martin Fréminet
ca. 1610–15
Queen Esther Approaching the Palace of Ahasuerus, Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée) French, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, heightened with white, over black chalk
Queen Esther Approaching the Palace of Ahasuerus
Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée)
1658
Bacchanal, Nicolas Poussin French, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over faint black chalk
Bacchanal
Nicolas Poussin
ca. 1635–36
The Lictors Bringing Brutus the Bodies of his Sons, Jacques Louis David French, Black chalk, pen and black and brown ink, brush and gray and brown wash, heightened with white gouache
The Lictors Bringing Brutus the Bodies of his Sons
Jacques Louis David
1787
Amya Petitioning Faustus for the Custody of Saint Mamas, Jean Cousin the Elder French, Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, with white gouache, over black chalk
Amya Petitioning Faustus for the Custody of Saint Mamas
Jean Cousin the Elder
ca. 1543

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