A drawing by Laurent Guyot for the Mobilier national

1. Laurent Guyot (1575-1644)
The Death of Chione, before 1625
Pen, ink and wash - 31 x 19.5 cm
Paris, Mobilier national
Photo: Galerie José de la Mano

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13/4/24 - Acquisitions - Paris, Mobilier national - This sheet by Laurent Guyot (ill. 1), which took pride of place at the centre of the Madrid gallery owner José de la Mano’s stand at the opening of the last Salon du Dessin, could not fail to interest the teams at the Mobilier National as it is a very rare preparatory study for one of the ten tapestries for the Tenture of the History of Diana, woven in Paris during the reigns of Henri IV and Louis XIII in the workshops of the Louvre and Saint-Marcel. The first cartoons were given by Toussaint Dubreuil, a great decorator in the service of the royal castles, who provided models that were an immediate success. After his passing in 1602, he was replaced by Henri Lerambert, who assisted him and was then replaced on his death by Laurent Guyot. Although the latter’s name is certainly known only to a circle of enthusiasts and specialists, we do know that he was responsible for a large number of tapestry cartoons, of which, alas, "only" the weavings remain, making this purchase an unhoped-for opportunity to refine his corpus and gain a better understanding of his creative process. As the notice kindly provided by the Mobilier National clearly indicates, this drawing was identified by Dominique Cordellier, conservateur honoraire du patrimoine - recently retired from the Department of Graphic Arts at the Musée du Louvre - for whom the Second School of Fontainebleau holds no secrets.

2. Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665)
The Death of Chione, c. 1622
Oil on canvas - 109.5 x 159.5 cm
Lyon, Musée des Beaux-Arts
Photo: Alain Basset

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Taken from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the scene is perfectly recognisable. Chione collapses in the foreground, struck to death by the arrow just fired at her by the…