Edouard François Zier

Anonymous sale, Artcurial, Paris, 31 March 2016, lot 156.

Paris, Salon de la Société des artistes français, 1890, no. 2473.

Catalogue illustré du Salon de 1890. Exposition des Beaux-Arts, Ludovic Baschet, Paris, 1890, no. 2473 (repr.);

P. Sérié, La peinture d'histoire en France, 1860 - 1900. La lyre ou le poignard, Paris 2014, p. 456 (unknown present location).

A student first of his father, the religious painter Victor Casimir Zier, and later of Jean-Léon Gérome, Edouard Zier received a rigorous academic training that left a lasting mark on his work. He exhibited at the Paris Salon beginning in 1874 and regularly presented his works there until 1909, winning several awards. Portraits, genre scenes, and history painting: throughout his career, the artist explored a variety of subjects, demonstrating his great technical mastery and his ability to adapt his art to different styles. Alongside his work as a painter, Zier collaborated with several major publications of his time, including Le Courrier Français, L’Illustration, and Le Monde Illustré. His work as an illustrator reflects the diversity of his output and his ability to adapt his precise draftsmanship and attention to detail to the various formats of the illustrated press.

Presented at the 1890 Salon, our Saint Thomas d'Aquin depicts a particularly little-known episode in the life of the famous Dominican theologian. The subject, described in the Salon’s program, recounts Thomas Aquinas’s resistance to a carnal temptation: “His brothers sent him a woman to lead him into sin. Not knowing how to rid himself of her presence, he seized a burning log from the fireplace and drove her away.” This episode, rarely depicted, thus offered Zier the opportunity to put his talent to work on a scene that is both narrative and deeply expressive. In this composition, the artist strives to accurately capture the young theologian’s austere character and determination. Thomas Aquinas’s stern face contrasts with the woman’s presence, while the saint’s gesture—armed with the burning ember—powerfully conveys his determination to resist temptation. Through his attention to detail and his skill in historical reconstruction, Zier imbues this episode in the theologian’s life with a particularly vivid and theatrical quality.