Meridies (Noon)

c. 1640

Charles Le Brun

Associated Names
Charles Le Brun

Artist, French, 1619 - 1690

The image depicts three figures, with the full upper bodies of the adult figures and the entire body of the child visible. The central figure is a bearded man with long hair tied back, seated on the ground with one leg extended. To his right is a nude child reaching towards the bearded man, while the child’s head is turned to the left. The child is seated on the lap of a third figure, a partially draped woman sitting on the ground and holding the child securely. The woman's hair is styled back, and she has a serene facial expression. In the background, there is a tree with large leaves and a goat peering from behind the figures. The sky is depicted with thick clouds, and the engraving has the word "MERIDIES" in the top right corner.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching with engraving on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    plate: 18.6 x 23.5 cm (7 5/16 x 9 1/4 in.)
    sheet: 19 x 24 cm (7 1/2 x 9 7/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2007.18.2

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Robert-Dumesnil, no. 5, State iii/iv

  • Series Title

    The Four Times of Day (plate 2)

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Paul Prouté S.A., Paris); purchased 2007 by NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1939

  • IFF (1600)

1967

  • Robert-Dumesnil, A.P.F. Le peintre-graveur francais, ou catalogue raisonne des estampes gravees par les peintres et les dessinateurs de l'ecole francaise, ouvrage faisant suite au peintre-graveur de M. Bartsch. Reprint (11 vols. in 6). Paris: F. deNobe

Inscriptions

upper right: MERIDIES.; lower edge: P. Marietter excud.; by later hand, lower left verso in brown ink: Le Brun

Wikidata ID

Q76337295

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