Élisabeth Sophie Chéron
Elisabeth Sophie Cheron (French Élisabeth -Sophie Cheron; * October 3, 1648 in Paris, † September 5, 1711 ibid ) was a French painter, engraver, poet and translator. Even in her early years she had earned a reputation as a talented portraitist. She later moved to the making of engravings. From its countless traditional works, however, only a small part in the original is preserved.
Life
Elisabeth Sophie Cheron was the eldest of five children of originating from Meaux, Huguenot painter Henri Cheron († 1677) and his Catholic wife Marie Lefebvre in Paris to the world. She was educated in the reformed faith and received by her father, who ran a workshop for miniature and enamel painting, even in childhood lessons in painting and drawing. At 14, she stayed to complete their education at the Abbey of Notre- Dame de Jouarre on. Her portraits of aristocratic classmates found so much favor that even the then Abbess Henriette de Lorraine had painted of her. Through their mediation followed by other lucrative contracts by members of the French nobility, such as the portraits of Jeanne de Rohan - Chabot Pélagie, princesse d' Épinoy, and Madame des Ursins.
The good paying jobs proved to be fortunate for the Cheron family, because that Elisabeth Sophie's father was in 1664 emigrated due to the increasing repression against the French Huguenots and his eldest daughter struck with the livelihood of the mother and the two surviving younger siblings Louis ( 1655 -1713 ) and Anne ( 1649-1718 ), the painter Alexis Simon Belle married in 1701. The order situation was even so good that the young artist her brother was able to finance a multi-year period of study in Rome.
On March 25, 1668 Elisabeth Sophie converted together with her sister Anne in the Paris church of Saint- Sulpice to Catholicism. Whether this was influenced by the mother or career opportunities under the strongly Catholic Louis XIV played a role is uncertain. Her brother Louis, however, remained faithful to the Reformed faith and was forced to leave France in 1685 after the repeal of the Edict of Nantes and went to England.
In a dispute over the painting, which was conducted primarily between Charles Le Brun and Pierre Mignard, Cheron is presented to the Le Bruns page by publishing anonymous 1669 La coupe du Val -de- Grâce. The more than 870 -line poem was a comprehensive response to the poem La gloire du Val- de -Grace, which had Molière recently written in support of Mignard. In her work, Elisabeth Sophie presented for the first time demonstrated that they not only had a talent for painting, but also an extraordinary poetic talent.
On the recommendation of Le Brun she was admitted to the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture on June 11, 1672 at the age of 24 years. In the history of the Academy this honor a total of only 15 women was given. Your recording enabled Elisabeth Sophie their works in the regularly scheduled salon exhibitions to exhibit at the Louvre, what do you more wealthy customers brought. Her artistic focus shifted but more and more of the art of portraiture to Kupferstecherei. Because of the high prevalence and the opportunity of copying the work offered better earning potential. Cheron specialized in reproductions of famous works, such as Raphael and Michelangelo. From 1700 she also received from the king an annual pension of 500 livres.
At the age of 44 years, Elisabeth Sophie married in 1692 surprisingly the engineer Jacques Le Hay, the connection, however, more rational thinking was sprung as romantic feelings. In her home in Paris, Rue de Grenelle she entertained an artistic and literary salon, the visited among other things, Mademoiselle de Scudéry, Anne Dacier, Antoinette Deshoulières and Roger de Piles. Your knowledge of Hebrew, Greek and Latin, used them to biblical texts and psalms translated into French. Elisabeth Sophie's artistic abilities were recognized on February 9, 1696 when it was incorporated under the name of Erato in the Accademia dei Ricovrati in Padua. In addition to her contemporaries attested also a great musical talent. Your knowledge in painting and drawing techniques they were early to her younger sister Anne more. However, their two most famous pupils were Anne and Ursule de Lacroix, the nieces of her husband.
Elisabeth Sophie Cheron died on September 5, 1711 at her home in Paris and was interred in the church of Saint- Sulpice. Your thereat grave shows her portrait and the inscription written by Abbé Bosquillon:
German translation:
In her will, the artist had her niece Anne de Lacroix intended for the sole heir, after her brother Louis Cheron had the heritage rejected because of the associated demand for a conversion to Catholicism.
Works
Paintings and engravings (selection)
Although Elisabeth Sophie Chérons could enjoy in his lifetime a high esteem among his contemporaries, soon came she and her work after her death into oblivion. Of the many paintings and engravings from her almost 50 -year period of creativity comparatively few originals have survived, including:
- Portrait de Madame présumé Deshoulières en sainte Agnès oil on canvas, Musée Condé, Chantilly; formerly attributed to Nicolas Mignard
- 1672: Self-portrait, oil on canvas, Louvre, Paris
- To 1670-1680: Portrait de femme en Sapho. Oil on canvas, Musée des Beaux -Arts, Rouen; formerly attributed to Nicolas Mignard
- 1700: Portrait de Jeanne -Marie Bouvier de la Mothe Guyon, Pushkin Museum, Moscow
- 1707: 36 stitches for the book Livre à dessiner, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris
Many works no longer extant but are known through copies or publications in which they are treated. These include, for example:
- Portrait de Madame d' Aulnoy
- Before 1664: Portrait de Louis de Machaut
- 1693: Portrait d' Antoinette Deshoulières
- 1703: Portrait du Père Sébastien Truchet
Notwithstanding many other female artists of her time Cheron also made history paintings, copies of antique paintings and allegories and religious representations.
Poems and Translations
- La coupe du Val -de- Grâce, réponse au poème de Molière " la gloire du Val -de- Grâce "; 1669 published anonymously
- 1694: Essay de Pseaumes cantiques et mis en vers; with her brother Louis Cheron engraved illustrations
- 1696: Traduction d'une ode latine, ou Description de Trianon
- 1717: Les Cerises renversées; published after her death
- 1717: Le Cantique d' Habacuc et le psaume 103 traduits en vers françois; published after her death by her husband