Artistic influence of Etienne COLAUD (act.1512 - 1541) - Lot 97

Artistic influence of Etienne COLAUD (act.1512 - 1541) Small painting on parchment, depicting the three temptations of Christ Paris, circa 1510-1520 28.5 x 22.5 cm on view. Description of the scene In the center, standing (thus forming the body of the letter I) and facing right, Jesus (long brown hair, rays shooting out in a cross behind his head, bare feet, wearing a gray robe that catches the light), responds with his hand to the devil (white hair & beard, horns on his head, black feet clawed in the shape of eagle's talons, also dressed in gray but without light, wearing a hat on his back and holding a long bumblebee) who is presenting him with stones. Above left, large-scale religious and civil architecture (bell tower, tower, two buildings); at the top of the tower, Jesus raises his hand against the horned demon clutching his arm and pointing to the ground. At the top right, on a hill, Jesus stands with his hand raised, facing the horned demon who is still reaching out towards the castles and towns in the background; three angels present food and drink. All this is set against a verdant, tree-lined, eventful landscape, which ends in a background of four bluish mounts enriched with a variety of architecture. The sky is blue. In the left foreground, a swarm of nuns kneel with clasped hands, preceded by an abbess wearing a ring and crosier against her shoulder, in front of a credence table with a fire-red tablecloth and an open book. Analysis This tableautin has exceptional compositional features. In addition to being larger than most manuscript illuminations, its composition is of the highest quality. The arrangement of the planes, the variation in hues, the gradation of color and sharpness as the objects depicted recede into the distance, the precision of the architecture, the centrality of Christ - all of this makes this tableautin a work that far surpasses most religious productions of the period. The figure of the devil The figure of the devil is also extremely interesting. In addition to its pictorial quality, it stands in stark contrast to that of Christ: He is young, the devil is old; He is surrounded and draped in light, the devil remains dull and gray; He is in a posture of authority, the devil advances insidiously; He is man ("the most beautiful of the children of men"), the devil is animal (the most repulsive). What's more, the demon is both a monk in his hooded robe, and a pilgrim in the hat and bumblebee he wears. Here we have the painter's denunciation of the corruption of these states of life, which in themselves are supposed to be evangelical. Indeed, under the monastic frock coat can hide the vices of laziness, pride and above all hypocrisy, while under the pretext of pilgrimage one can indulge in rapine, disguised poverty and even all manner of brigandage. Medieval literature is full of such denunciations. The devil's insidious and distorted attitude is in line with that described by the Holy Gospels, and which our tableautin manifests in the other two scenes, where the devil appears as an inciter in the face of an upright Christ who responds by simply quoting the Scriptures. The painter The sole or main painter of this tableautin belongs to the artistic movement whose best-known figure, though not necessarily the best, is Etienne Colaud (Collault), active in Paris from 1512 to 1541. Was he one of the journeymen who learned the trade from the master? The date of our tableautin (circa 1510-1520), as well as its high quality and astonishing composition, would suggest a true master - rather than a disciple or companion of Etienne Colaud - who shared his training and inspiration. Indeed, despite the excellent research carried out by the late Marie-Blanche Cousseau in preparation for her thesis (published in 2016), this painter cannot be formally identified with the various collaborators of Etienne Colaud listed, even if we might be tempted to link him to the painter of the Puys de Rouen, as proposed by Ms. Isabelle Delaunay. As we have said, the quality of his painting, the depth of field and width of this scene, the inventiveness of the architecture and the representation of the demon, and finally the size of this tableautin, can all be traced back to a painter who, while sharing many of Etienne Colaud's inspirations, is sufficiently different from him to place himself outside his strict dependence. Here is Mme Delaunay's opinion, which she has kindly communicated to us: The miniature can be attributed to the Maître des puys from Rouen, who worked with the Parisian illuminator Etienne Colaud in the