Saint Geneviève, Patron Saint of Paris

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Saint Geneviève, Patron Saint of Paris

1758-1759

Jean Joseph Balechou (French, 1716–1764) After a painting dated 1740 by Carle Vanloo (French, 1705–1765)

After successfully establishing himself as a portrait engraver in Paris in the 1740s, Jean-Joseph Balechou returned to his native Provence, where he began his career as a printmaker in Avignon. Balechou made a business of engraving paintings by contemporary French artists in local collections, including Carle van Loo's Saint-Geneviève, Patron Saint of Paris. Balechou dedicated this print to Louis XV-after receiving official permission to do so from the marquis de Marigny in 1759. This was a savvy move, since the king attributed his recovery from serious illness in 1744 to Saint Geneviève and vowed to rebuild the church in Paris containing her shrine.

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Object Details

Titles:

Saint Geneviève, Patron Saint of Paris
Saint Geneviève patrone de Paris

Date:

1758-1759

Artists:

Jean Joseph Balechou (French, 1716–1764) After a painting dated 1740 by Carle Vanloo (French, 1705–1765)

Medium:

Etching and engraving

Dimensions:

Plate: 21 1/8 x 14 5/16 inches (53.6 x 36.4 cm) Sheet: 22 1/16 x 15 11/16 inches (56 x 39.8 cm)

Classification:

Prints

Credit Line:

The Muriel and Philip Berman Gift, acquired from the John S. Phillips bequest of 1876 to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, with funds contributed by Muriel and Philip Berman, gifts (by exchange) of Lisa Norris Elkins, Bryant W. Langston, Samuel S. White 3rd and Vera White, with additional funds contributed by John Howard McFadden, Jr., Thomas Skelton Harrison, and the Philip H. and A.S.W. Rosenbach Foundation, 1985

Accession Number:

1985-52-4914

Geography:

Made in France, Europe

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Currently not on view