Charles de la Fosse (1636 -1716) Jesus at the Last Supper

Charles de la Fosse (1636; 1716) Jesus at the Last Supper

Oil on canvas and original stretcher 82 x 66 cm
Frame 103 cm x 84 cm

I would like to thank Madame Clémentine Gustin-Gomez for confirming the autograph character of this painting after a direct examination.
In her work, Clémentine Gustin-Gomez cites a previously mentioned but now missing painting that could, with all due reservations, be ours (C. Gustin Gomez, Charles de La FOSSE (1636-1716), Dijon, 2006, pp. 31):
Under the number PP. 31: The Last Supper located next to the high altar at the Church of Saint-Pierre-des-Arcis, in Paris; seized during the Revolution; mentioned by A. Lenoir, November 16, 1793, as an object entered into the Provisional Deposit of Monuments

The Last Supper

The Last Supper, also known as the "Lord's Supper" or "Last Meal," commemorates the final meal of Jesus Christ with his disciples before his crucifixion, as described in the Gospels of the New Testament of the Bible.
During the Last Supper, Jesus shared the bread and wine with his disciples, identifying them as his body and blood. This is considered a symbol of Jesus' sacrifice for the salvation of humanity. In many Christian traditions, the Last Supper is celebrated regularly during a religious service called the Eucharist.
The Last Supper is often depicted in Christian art. Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" is one of them. This iconic depiction shows Jesus and his disciples seated at a table during the Last Supper.

Charles de la Fosse (1636; 1716)

Charles de La Fosse was born on June 15, 1636, in Paris and died on December 13, 1716.
He was an early student of Le Brun, with whom he collaborated in the 1650s at the Saint-Sulpice Seminary and the Hôtel Lambert. From 1658 to 1663, he spent time in Rome, Parma, and for a long time in Venice, whose influence would forever remain.
After his return to Paris, Le Brun employed him at the Tuileries, then in the Grand Apartment at Versailles. La Fosse was admitted to the Academy in 1673 (The Rape of Proserpine), becoming its director in 1707 thanks to the support of Hardouin-Mansart. He painted various easel paintings for the Grand Trianon, Marly, Meudon, Versailles, and more.
La Fosse's favorite subjects were often mythological or religious. He was also a great decorator, whose art differed greatly from that of Le Brun or a contemporary like Jouvenet. He produced numerous paintings for churches and palaces, including frescoes. His style developed over time, moving from a more classical and rigid approach to more dynamic and expressive compositions.
He did not intervene, or more precisely, imposed himself by example, in what has been called the color dispute, or the dispute between the ancients and the moderns, which, from the 1670s onward, pitted the 17th-century tradition, faithful to Poussin's art, where the painted work was built on drawing, against the so-called moderns, where the importance of drawing was eclipsed in favor of the choice and application of colors.
His works established him as the master of the moderns, thus paving the way for 18th-century painting.
Charles de la Fosse was appointed First Painter to the King in 1685.