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The Nations of Europe

After Charles Le Brun French

after 1678

Not on view

This work was a study for the wall decoration of the Ambassadors’ Staircase, which featured trompe l’oeil paintings of loggias with representatives of the four continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, and America). It foreshadows the foreign embassies that would be escorted up the stairs when Louis XIV moved his court to Versailles in 1682.

The Nations of Europe, After Charles Le Brun (French, Paris 1619–1690 Paris), Oil on canvas — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: The Nations of Europe

Artist: After Charles Le Brun (French, Paris 1619–1690 Paris)

Date: after 1678

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: Without frame: 28 3/8 × 23 1/16 in. (72 × 58.5 cm)
With frame: 38 3/16 × 32 11/16 × 3 1/8 in. (97 × 83 × 8 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit Line: Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon (MV 5778)

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The Met's comprehensive collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century.