CHARLES-ANTOINE COYPEL | A preparatory study of Christ seated for the Supper at Emmaus

Acquis à Paris par échange auprès de la galerie Bruno de Bayser, 1995

Rennes, 2012, n°59b (notice par Nicole Garnier) ;
Sceaux, 2013 (sans catalogue)

Laid down. Light brown staining in the upper right section of the sheet and staining at level of his waist and his leg on the right side. Chalk remains strong and vibrant. Sold unframed.
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This grand and emotive drawing of Christ, executed in black and white chalk and squared for transfer, is preparatory for Charles Antoine Coypel’s figure of Christ in his painting, The Supper at Emmaus (1746), commissioned for the Paris Church of Saint Louis du Louvre (demolished in 1811) and now conserved in the Church of Saint–Louis-en-I’île (fig. 1).¹

Charles Antoine Coypel was the son of the painter Antoine Coypel (see lots 42 and 54),with whom he worked closely during his early career, collaborating on a number of projects. While he was often inspired by his father’s graphic oeuvre, Charles Antoine developed his own individual style, which was often highly expressive and theatrical.

The Supper at Emmaus was commissioned, together with a painting of an Annunciation, for the church of Saint Louis du Louvre. Both paintings were exhibited at the 1746 Salon, where they were well received. A preparatory drawing by Charles Antoine for the complete composition of The Supper at Emmaus is in the Louvre.²

The Adrien drawing depicts the entire figure of Christ who appears on the right side of the painting. Coypel has drawn his figure in the nude, as was the normal academic practice in order to obtain the most accurate and convincing rendering of anatomy.  The pose is almost identical to the final painting, except for the positions of Christ’s hands holding the bread and a slight adjustment to the position of his extended leg that rests on the foot stool. It is a strong example of a working study by the artist, demonstrating his ability to draw from life and his talent for bringing a sense of pathos to his subjects.

For another study connected with the same painting, for the central seated pilgrim, see the following lot.

^1. T. Lefrançois, Charles Coypel Peintre du Roi (1694-1752), Paris 1994, p. 338, fig. P. 239

^2. Paris, Musée du Louvre, inv. no. RF 26025; Lefrançois, op.cit., p. 339, no. D.87