The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2024

The Miracles of Saint James the Greater

The Miracles of Saint James the Greater

1726
(French, 1690–1734)
Framed: 129.5 x 107.5 x 10.5 cm (51 x 42 5/16 x 4 1/8 in.); Unframed: 102 x 80.7 cm (40 3/16 x 31 3/4 in.)

Description

Noël Nicolas Coypel combined two stories associated with Saint James the Greater, one of the twelve apostles of Christ. In the foreground is the magician Hermogenes, begging forgiveness. Hermogenes had cast a spell on James, but the saint turned the curse back on him. When James offered to protect Hermogenes against the demons assaulting him, the magician cast aside his pagan texts in favor of Christianity. According to the second legend, James miraculously cured a paralytic man (in the middle ground at right), thereby averting his own execution and causing the prosecutor to convert. Although this painting is relatively small, the clear composition, grand architectural setting, and dignified and expressive poses of the figures endow it with monumental presence.
  • Elliott Gregory (New York, New York)
    Felix Wildenstein, by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1929.
  • "Cleveland." ARTnews (May 11, 1929): 22. Mentioned: p. 22
    Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Héritage De France; French Painting 1610-1760. Montreal: Museum of Fine Arts, 1961. Mentioned: cat. no. 20, Reproduced: p. 90
    Argencourt, Louise d', and Roger Diederen. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 3. European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Reproduced and mentioned: p. 63-65, cat. no. 27
    Talbot, W. S. "Jean-Francois De Troy: Pan and Syrinx." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art LXI, no. 8 (October, 1974): 250-259. Reproduced: p. 254
    Rosenberg, Pierre. The Age of Louis XV: French Painting 1710-1774 : [Exhibition] 1975-1976, the Toledo Museum of Art, October 26-December 7, the Art Institute of Chicago, January 10-February 22, the National Gallery of Canada, March 21-May 2. [Toledo, OH]: Toledo Museum of Art, 1975. Reproduced: p. 31
    Lomax, David. "Noël-Nicolas Coypel (1690-1734)." Revue De L'Art 57 (1982): 29-48. Reproduced: p. 42
  • Great Stories in Art. Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO (organizer) (February 13-March 27, 1966).
    Great Stories in Art. Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO (organizer) (February 13-March 27, 1966).
    Heritage de France, French Painting 1610-1760. Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal (October 6-November 6, 1961); Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Quebec City, Canada (November 16-December 16, 1961); National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ont.,, Canada (January 4-February 4, 1962); Art Gallery of Ontario, Ontario M5T 1G4, Canada (organizer) (February 16-March 18, 1962).
    Héritage de France, French Painting 1610-1760. Montréal Museum of Fine Arts (organizer) (October 6-November 6, 1961); Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (November 16-December 6, 1961); National Gallery of Canada (January 4-February 4, 1962); Art Gallery of Ontario (February 16-March 18, 1962).
    The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 26-October 4, 1936).
    Art of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 9-December 2, 1934).
  • {{cite web|title=The Miracles of Saint James the Greater|url=false|author=Noël Nicolas Coypel|year=1726|access-date=22 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1929.96