Gabriel Lemonnier (1743 – 1824) - Saint Jerome And The Angel

Gabriel Lemonnier (Rouen 1743 – 1824 Paris)
Saint Jerome and the Angel, after Simon Vouet

Black chalk with white heightening on blue paper
14.8 x 20.7 cm

Provenance:
Private collection, France

This delicately executed drawing by Gabriel Lemonnier reveals both his mastery of academic draftsmanship and his reverence for the Baroque tradition, particularly the work of Simon Vouet. Active during a pivotal moment in French art history, Lemonnier navigated the transition from Rococo exuberance to Neoclassical rigor, bringing to his work a clarity of line and a disciplined composition deeply rooted in academic ideals.

The subject—Saint Jerome, the ascetic scholar and translator of the Vulgate, visited by an angel—was a favorite theme among Baroque artists, who found in it a rich opportunity for expressive contrasts between divine inspiration and human toil. Here, the elderly saint is captured in a moment of intense concentration, stylus in hand, as the angel leans in to deliver a heavenly message or exhortation. The juxtaposition of the saint's muscular, furrowed body with the youthful, graceful figure of the angel creates a dynamic tension that animates the scene.

Executed in black chalk with white highlights, the drawing showcases Lemonnier’s control of volume and texture. The blue paper not only enhances the sense of depth but also provides a cool tonal harmony that balances the drama of the composition. The folds of drapery, the anatomical structure, and the expressive gestures are all handled with sensitivity and precision, reflecting Lemonnier’s academic training, possibly at the École des Beaux-Arts, where such studies after the masters were an essential part of artistic education.

Though perhaps less widely known than some of his contemporaries, Gabriel Lemonnier was a respected figure in the Parisian art world. He participated in the Salon and contributed to the evolution of history painting in France. This drawing, while a copy after Vouet, is far from a mere exercise in reproduction. It is a nuanced and personal reinterpretation, bridging the emotional richness of the Baroque with the intellectual clarity of the Enlightenment era.

As such, it stands as a compelling example of how late 18th-century artists looked to the past not simply to imitate, but to dialogue with the great masters, reaffirming their own place within the continuum of artistic tradition.