Bowdoin College Museum of Art | - Allegorical Female Figure

Preview image of work. chalk on paper, Allegorical Female Figure 818

1904.23

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Allegorical Female Figure

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Artist

Alexandre Cabanel

Title

Allegorical Female Figure

Creation Date

1824-1889

Century

19th century

Dimensions

21 3/16 in. x 12 1/8 in. (53.8 cm. x 30.8 cm.)

Object Type

drawing

Creation Place

Europe, France

Medium and Support

chalk on paper

Credit Line

Bequest of Miss Mary Sophia Walker

Copyright

Public Domain

Accession Number

1904.23

With this study of the allegory of Faith, Alexandre Cabanel meticulously prepared a central figure of his early masterpiece, “The Glorification of Saint Louis.” To the chalice, covered head, and solemn upward gaze of the drawing, the final painting further adds as attributes the cross and the host. Faith and an allegory of worldly powers are shown crowning Louis IX of France (1214--1270) with a laurel wreath, as he appears to representatives of his people. The “Glorification” was originally destined for the chapel of the Chateau de Vincennes, but was first presented at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1855, where it catapulted the artist to fame. Alexandre Cabanel’s work was sought-after by European and American patrons, and he received numerous prestigious awards. His students from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts exhibited in great numbers in the annual Salons, which Cabanel often helped to jury.