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The Vow of Louis XIII, E403

Explanation

  • In The Promise of Louis XIII, Jean Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) pays homage to the unification of state and church. Dressed in an ermine cloak and with the royal regalia stretching up to heaven, the French King Louis XIII (1601-43) kneels before the Assumption of Our Lady. Ingres had Raphael’s (1483-1520) painting The Sistine Madonna 1512-13 as his model. (See the engraving based on this painting, inv. no. E886). The portrayal of the crown regalia etc. is realistic, but there is also a theatrical quality to the painting. The curtain that two angels are pulling aside on either side of the picture, together with Ingres’ dramatic use of light also contributes to making it appear as though the scene were taking place on a stage. Ingres executed this painting to a commission from the Cathédrale Notre Dame in his native French town of Montaubaun. In Rome, Ingres moved into the same house as Thorvaldsen in 1810. It was said that they took their evening meal at the same table for many years. Nevertheless, Thorvaldsen never bought one of Ingres’ paintings for his collection.

Dimension

  • Height (plate size) 715 mm
  • Height (paper size) 865 mm
  • Width (plate size) 495 mm
  • Width (paper size) 635 mm
  • Inscription / Certification / Label

    Peint par Ingres. / Paris 1837. / Calamatta dis. e incise. / VOEU DE LOUIS XIII / A Paris chez Rittner et goupil Boulevart Montmatre 15 / Imprimè par Chardon ainé