Attributed to Joseph Parrocel

Attributed to JOSEPH PARROCEL (Brignoles, 1646 - Paris, 1704) .
"Road to Calvary".
Ink and gouache on paper.
Measurements: 12,5 x 19 cm; 30 x 37 cm (frame).

The composition, executed in ink with gouache in a range of grays (grisaille), presents a dense and dramatic scene of the Way to Calvary. In the center, Christ appears fallen on his knees under the weight of the cross, while a female figure at his side points to him with an expressive gesture, underlining the pathos of the scene. Behind him, a figure seems to be preparing to help him, while to the left and in the background, spears can be seen, suggesting the presence of the retinue of soldiers accompanying the procession.

The work is constructed with firm, thick strokes that give the figures a sculptural, almost carved appearance, while the gouache in different intensities of gray provides depth and relief.

The dynamism, the emphatic gestures and the preference for compositions populated with figures refer to the style of Joseph de Parrocel, a member of a prominent family of French painters and known for his religious scenes and battles, in which movement and dramatic tension predominate.

Joseph Parrocel was a well-known French Baroque painter, unanimously recognized for his battle scenes. Born into a family with more than fourteen painters over six generations, his grandfather Georges Parrocel (1540 - 1614) and his father Barthélemy Parrocel (1595-1660) were prominent regional painters. He traveled to Paris and stayed there for four years, honing his skills as a painter. He then decided to return to Provence and set out on a journey to Italy, where he stayed for a period of eight years. In Rome he became a pupil of the famous painter Jacques Courtois, a specialist in battle themes and known by the nickname of "the Burgundian". He also had the opportunity to study the work of Salvator Rosa, an unorthodox painter with tendencies towards pre-romanticism. Parrocel worked alongside Rosa in his studio and was notably influenced by his style, which years later would permeate the Frenchman's work. He was accepted as a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture on February 29, 1676 and became an academician on November 29 of the same year, with the work The Siege of Maastricht. In 1703 he obtained the chancellorship in the Academy, and was able to obtain royal commissions. One of the best known was to idealize the campaigns of King Louis XIV. However, Charles Le Brun, director of the Academy, refused to collaborate with Parrocel for the war scenes and appointed him to be in charge of the tapestries at the Gobelins factory. The Secretary of War, the Marquis de Louvois, recognized Parrocel's talent and commissioned him to decorate the dining rooms of the Palace of Versailles with scenes of Louis XIV's victories.