The Navy and Painters. Four Centuries of Art and Power

The Musée national de la Marine, like the Musée Carnavalet, is also a fine arts museum, and it is in that capacity that it is of interest to us. Its current exhibition, whose ambition is to present as comprehensive an overview as possible of marine painting in France, demonstrates this once again by bringing together works from other museums, as well as paintings sometimes kept in its own reserves, which we are delighted to discover in a simple yet appealing display (ill. 1).

The exhibition is essentially chronological, ranging from the beginning of the 17th century to the 20th century. Since some of the works are little known, it is appreciated that the catalogue follows a traditional format, one that we value most: essays devoted to studying particular aspects of this subject, and above all catalogue entries (although we regret that some works, relegated to a portfolio at the end of the catalogue, do not benefit from them). While the provenance is provided, the absence of a bibliography must, on the other hand, be criticised, as it is incomprehensible and requires extensive research in order to identify works that are rarely, if ever, exhibited, and sometimes even unpublished. Our review will remain straightforward, as is deliberately the approach of the exhibition, and will focus primarily on highlighting the most remarkable works.

From the outset, a Full-Length Portrait of Cardinal Richelieu (ill. 2) by Philippe de Champaigne attracts attention. The work is indeed kept at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (it was acquired in 1969) and is therefore usually difficult to see. The painting, whose entirely…