The Dead Christ (recto); Child's Head (verso)
1646 (recto); 18th century (verso)
Medium
Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown and gray wash, and traces of red chalk, heightened with lead white (discolored), on blue laid paper, tipped on cream laid paper (recto), and red chalk transfer on cream laid paper
Dimensions
22.8 × 35.1 cm (9 × 13 7/8 in.)
Classification
drawings (visual works)
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
113629
Art Historical Context
Discover the poignant "The Dead Christ" (recto) by Charles Le Brun, a French artist born in 1619 who rose to prominence as the leading painter under Louis XIV and founder of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Created in 1646, when Le Brun was just and fresh from his formative years in Rome, this drawing captures the somber intensity of Christ's lifeless form—a quintessential Baroque theme emphasizing emotional depth and dramatic realism. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, it exemplifies Le Brun's early mastery in blending classical influences wi...
About the Artist
Charles Le Brun · 1619–1690
Charles Le Brun (1619–1690) was the most powerful artistic figure in seventeenth-century France, serving as the virtual dictator of official taste during the reign of Louis XIV and shaping the visual identity of the French Baroque in ways that resonated for generations. Born in Paris, he trained under the painter Simon Vouet before traveling to Rome in 1642, where he studied the works of Nicolas P...