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Philippe de Champaigne and studio, 'Triple Portrait of Cardinal de Richelieu', probably 1642

About the work

Overview

This triple portrait was intended as a model for a full-length statue of Armand-Jean du Plessis, duc de Richelieu (1585–1642), who became Cardinal in 1622 and the Chief Minister of France in 1624. He wears a Cardinal’s robe, skull cap and blue ribbon adorned with the Order of the Holy Spirit, symbolised by the dove at the bottom of the painting. The head is repeated in this painting in three different poses: facing forward and in profile turned to the right and left. The central portrait relates to the artist’s full-length painting Cardinal de Richelieu, also in the National Gallery. The triple portrait was executed in Paris and sent to Rome to the Italian sculptor Francesco Mochi (1580–1654) in around 1642.

Champaigne probably painted the central and right heads: an inscription above the latter reads: ‘this is the better one’. The rest of the painting was likely carried out by his workshop.

Key facts

Details

Full title
Triple Portrait of Cardinal de Richelieu
Artist
Philippe de Champaigne and studio
Artist dates
1602 - 1674
Date made
probably 1642
Medium and support
oil on canvas
Dimensions
58.7 × 72.8 cm
Inscription summary
Inscribed
Acquisition credit
Presented by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks, 1869
Inventory number
NG798
Location
Room 29
Collection
Main Collection
Frame
17th-century French Frame

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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