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Claude Vignon , French, 1593-1670

Title

Porcia

Date1630

MediumRed chalk and graphite on paper

Dimensions

32.1 x 21.3 cm

Credit LineTransferred, National Museum of Ireland, 1966

Object numberNGI.3837

DescriptionPorcia was the wife of Brutus, the chief conspirator in the assassination of Julius Caesar which took place in 44 B. After her husband committed suicide Porcia killed herself by eating burning coals, and this was seen as the ultimate act of loyalty. During the 17th century artists in France and Italy produced a number of series of works depicting heroic women of history, and Porcia was often included. This drawing is one of 20 by Vignon destined to be reproduced in prints for one such series; only five of the drawings survive today. The drawings for 'Paulina' and an impression of the print of 'Porcia' are also in the Gallery's collection.

Claude Vignon, like many European artists of the time, spent several years in Rome early in his career, where he was partially influenced by the followers of Caravaggio. After the artist's return to France in 1622 King Louis XIII and his minister Cardinal Richelieu commissioned paintings from him. A prolific artist, Vignon also provided designs for the leading print publishers in Paris, although few of his drawings survive.

'Porcia' is typical of the compositions for the series. The foreground is dominated by the monumental figure of the heroine, while visible in the distant background, on a very different scale, is the scene of her suicide. The facial features are characteristic of all of Vignon's female figures.

(National Gallery of Ireland: Essential Guide, 2008)
InscriptionInscribed on attached label (on verso): Claude Vignon 1630
Inscribed on drawing (lower right): 81 - 84
Inscribed on mount (lower left): N 12. R Dublin Society
Inscribed on mount (centre): PORCIE
Inscribed on mount (lower right):...(?illegible), 1832
ProvenanceRoyal Dublin Society; transferred to the National Museum of Ireland, 1878; transferred to the National Gallery of Ireland, 1966 Exhibition HistoryDrawings from the National Gallery of Ireland, Wildenstein; London; New York, 31 May - 7 July 1967

Master European Drawings, from the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland, Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Colorado Springs Fine Arts Centre, Colorado; Art Gallery, University of Maryland, College Park; Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin; Pierpont Morgan Library, New York; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana; The Minneapolis Museum of Art, Minnesota; The Santa Barbara Museum of Art, California; National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1983

Von Poussin bis Monet. Die Farben Frankreichs, Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, 10 October 2015 - 17 January 2016