Adrien Manglard (1695-1760), Chivalric Scene

Landscape with a scene of chivalry

Oil painting on canvas. A chivalric scene, probably inspired by Tasso's 'Gerusalemme Liberata', stands in the foreground, featuring two warriors with armor and feathered helmet, armed shields and swords, both flanked by two ladies, about to face a duel for The possession of a box placed on the ground between the two contenders; A third knight with a red drape on a bay horse and a fourth knight on his shoulders watch the contention, leaning on a double stick, also in full war outfit. The scene is set in a mountain gorge with a tower on the right, in front of a stormy sea and a coastal view in the background. The painting is a significant example in the catalog of Adrien Manglard for the singularity of the figurative scene combined with his acclaimed landscapes painter skills, expressed by the taste of the original inventiveness and prospective application, by his representation of rocks, waves and distant islands. The attribution to the Manglard can be confirmed by the comparisons with various works of this kind, as he was a well-known painter of sea landscapes, both in storms and in quiet atmospheres of silence. For this purpose, it is possible to consult the monograph of S. Maddalo (Adrien Manglard 1695-1760, Multigrafica editore, Rome 1982) with particular reference to Figures 34-39 and 41, focusing on sea landscapes of such an environment, including the Cycle of Palazzo Ducale Colorno, the canvases of the Guéret Museum and Palazzo Boncompagni Ludovisi and the fresco of Palazzo Chigi. In these paintings, we find similar and sometimes almost matching inventive parameters, with a matching pictorial style with the canvas in question. The evocative representation of stormy sky and sea, attesting the careful observation of these phenomena by Manglard, should be emphasized in particular. Moreover, his validity as a figure painter is proved by a general examination of his curriculum, including in particular the 'Call of the first Apostles' dating back to 1731. There is an AM mark in the painting on the box at the bottom of the center. The work is accompanied by an expertise by Professor Giancarlo Sestieri. The painting is restored and presented in a more recent frame.