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Rossini
188
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Early 17th-century French school, circle of Daniel Dumonstie…
See original version (French)
188
-
Early 17th-century French school, circle of Daniel Dumonstie…
See original version (French)
Estimate €6,000 - €8,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Early 17th-century French school, circle of Daniel Dumonstier (Paris 1574–1646)
Presumed portrait of the poet François de Malherbe (1555–1628)
Oil on canvas
56.5 x 45 cm.
On the reverse, handwritten inscriptions in black felt-tip pen, likely dating from the 21st century, crossed out: François de Malherbe (c. 1555–1628)
A very rare portrait of this great French poet, whose work marked a decisive stage in the development of literary classicism. We know what he looked like from both an anonymous painted portrait held in Caen (Musée des Beaux-Arts, inv. OD.16), and through a portrait by Daniel Dumonstier, engraved by Lucas Vosterman (1595–1675), published in the first edition of the ‘Œuvres’ (Paris, Chappelain, 1630), for which Vosterman’s preparatory drawing is held at Chantilly (Musée Condé, inv. DE PD 539), and through a drawing by Nicolas Laigneau (private collection, Rieunier – de Muizon auction, Hôtel Drouot, 7 December 2015, lot 46).
Born in Caen, in a France still deeply marked by the Wars of Religion, François de Malherbe (c. 1555–1628) came of age against a backdrop of the re-affirmation of monarchical authority and the search for a lasting political and cultural order. After an initially relatively low-key literary career, he settled in Paris and entered the service of Henry IV, then Louis XIII, becoming a recognised figure in the intellectual life of the court.
His significance lies less in the volume of his output than in his role in the reform of poetic language. At the end of the 16th century, whilst the Pléiade—notably Ronsard—had prioritised the enrichment of French through the imitation of ancient models and lexical innovation, Malherbe advocated a form of poetry based on formal rigour, precise vocabulary, grammatical correctness and mastery of rhythm. He thus subjected inspiration to a demanding process of composition and stylistic refinement. This approach, passed on in particular by his disciple Claude Favre de Vaugelas and carried forward by the critical tradition, helped to pave the way for the classical ideal of clarity, moderation and regularity.
His poems, including *Les Larmes de saint Pierre* (1587), his political odes and his funeral compositions, bear witness to this quest for a balance between personal expression, eloquence and formal discipline. His famous tribute to Du Périer, composed following the death of the latter’s daughter, illustrates his ability to frame personal grief within a moral and universal meditation. Although his poetry often remained tied to the circumstances of court life, his influence on subsequent generations, particularly on Boileau, was considerable. Malherbe thus appears less as a thematic innovator than as a reformer of poetic style: by making poetic language an instrument subject to precise rules, he helped to establish the principles that would dominate seventeenth-century French literature.
See original version (French)
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About the sale
CLASSICAL ART, Asian collection, antique paintings & works of art
Auction location
Auction time
11/04/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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