Noël Coypel (1628-1707) - Holy Family With Saint Elizabeth And Jean Baptist

Original canvas with gild frame of Louis XIV century. 

The work:
We are witnesses to an important moment in the history of the Christian religion. 
Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus have fled to Egypt to protect Christ from King Herod, whose death is the only way they can return.
During a stopover at the foot of ancient columns, the Holy Family sees Elizabeth and St. John the Baptist coming towards them.  
Carried by his mother, Mary, Christ at the center of the work, arms open, looks with affection at his aunt Elisabeth. She kneels down and puts her hand to her heart. Joseph and St. John the Baptist look at each other, and history is made. Joseph, supported by his staff, understands the meaning of the encounter: in John's hand is a little bird, a goldfinch. He offers it to Christ, symbolizing his future sacrifice.

Our scene is the central theme of a large painting that no longer exists. However, an engraving in reverse by Coypel in counterpart to Guillaume Chasteau, Coypel's brother-in-law, enables us to identify this work. The engravings, which reproduce paintings, are inverted with respect to the original. As the matrix is oriented in the same way as the painting, the resulting print is inverted in relation to the original.
A slightly larger version (92.5 cm x 78 cm) is kept at the Musée de Rennes. The very close pictorial comparison, the meaning of the scene and its dating confirm the concordance between these two paintings.
(French 16th, 17th and 18th century paintings from the Musée de Rennes catalog raisonné, guillaume Kazerouni )

The artist:
Founder of a dynasty of painters, Noël Coypel (1628-1707) distinguished himself brilliantly in several fields: ceilings, easel paintings, graphic arts and tapestry cartoons. 
A talented precocious artist, he was accepted at the age of 18 to take part in the preparation of the opera Orphée at Versailles, and never left Versailles and the Louvre. He served the king for 20 years. 
In 1655, he painted several pictures for the king's apartments and the queen's ceilings.
In 1672, he was appointed director of the Academy of Rome for 3 years, where he made friends with Carlo Maratta and Le Bernin, enriching his work with Roman and ancient influences.
On his return to France, his studio received numerous commissions from the great families of the French aristocracy.
In 1695, he was appointed director of the Académie de peinture, replacing Pierre Mignard.

Dimensions unframed: 86.2cm X 67.5cm
Dimensions with frame: 112.2 X 93.5cm