Jean-Paul Laurens, who was active in France in the latter half of the 19th century, specialized in historical paintings depicting actual events from the political and religious worlds of the Middle Ages. This work is one of them. Against a backdrop of a tapestry showing an arch, sits a throne that is empty except for a crown, which is illuminated in a cold, dim light. On the right stands a young woman wearing a luxurious robe. She leans on the throne, her face in shadows but her blue eyes piercing into empty space. An uneasy dawn is breaking. At the time the painting was made, France was still embroiled in political unrest between competing republican and monarchist factions. With skillful psychological expression of the protagonist, scenery and props inspired by medieval book illustrations, and effective rendering of light and shade, the painter answered the demands of a society keen to revisit its history.
(NAKAMURA Naoaki)
Jean-Paul Laurens, who was active in France in the latter half of the 19th century, specialized in historical paintings depicting actual events from the political and religious worlds of the Middle Ages. This work is one of them. Against a backdrop of a tapestry showing an arch, sits a throne that is empty except for a crown, which is illuminated in a cold, dim light. On the right stands a young woman wearing a luxurious robe. She leans on the throne, her face in shadows but her blue eyes piercing into empty space. An uneasy dawn is breaking. At the time the painting was made, France was still embroiled in political unrest between competing republican and monarchist factions. With skillful psychological expression of the protagonist, scenery and props inspired by medieval book illustrations, and effective rendering of light and shade, the painter answered the demands of a society keen to revisit its history.
(NAKAMURA Naoaki)