Attributed to Noël Hallé

Attributed to NOËL HALLÉ (France, 1711-1781)
"Holy Family".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 33,5 x 41 cm; 42,5 x 51 cm (frame).

Devotional painting representative of the late French rococo, with certain classicist echoes that announce the transition towards the neoclassicism.

The scene shows the Virgin Mary lovingly holding the Child Jesus, resting her head on her left hand. A gray-bearded St. Joseph gazes at them with a serene and protective gesture. The composition is intimate and concentrated, centered on the main group, with a dark background that highlights the luminosity of the figures. The softened chiaroscuro and the warm chromatic range (predominantly ochers, golds and deep blues) create an atmosphere of tenderness and spiritual recollection.

The attitudes of the characters convey gentleness, affection and humanity, characteristic features of 18th century French devotional art, where religiosity is expressed more by emotion and grace than by solemnity. The faces, with idealized and soft features, recall the influence of artists such as François Boucher and Jean-Baptiste Greuze.

In terms of pictorial quality, the work stands out for its good technical execution: the modeling of the flesh tones is delicate and luminous, the folds of the drapery are treated with ease, and the use of light guides the eye towards the face of the Virgin and Child. Although of small format, the painting has a great expressive intensity and compositional balance, features that support its attribution to Hallé, a master trained in the French academic tradition of the eighteenth century.

Noël Hallé was a French painter, draughtsman and engraver. He was born into a family of artists, son of Claude-Guy Hallé. He won the Prix de Rome in 1736. He studied at the French Academy in Rome from 1737 to 1744 under the direction of Jean-Francois de Troy. As a historical painter, he received royal commissions to work on the Grand Trianon, Choisy, the Petit Trianon and the Batiments; he worked for the Gobelins Factory, for the city of Paris and for the king of Poland. Among his works are those related to Ancient Rome: The Death of Seneca, Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi and The Justice of Trajan. Numerous works by Hallé have been exhibited in the Louvre, including "The Disputation of Minerva and Neptune" and "The Flight into Egypt".