A Lady with Cupid in a Landscape

Oil on canvas; 51 x 38 inches (132 x 98 cm)

Signed and dated on reverse of original canvas: C.Chaperon/ P.J. 1690

In a fine Louis XIV style carved and gilded frame with garland corners

Claude Chapron was received in to the Academy of St. Luke in Paris in 1692, two years after he executed this picture. As an early work in the artist's career, this picture reveals the influence of French court painters such as Pierre Mignard and Bendetto Gennari. The contrasting hues of the lady's blue dress and the red sash are resonant of the traditional image of the Madonna and Child in Renaissance painting, and imply that the artist was keen to stress the sitter's Catholic loyalties. This is, however, balanced by the inclusion of a secular and mythological theme in the form of Cupid, with his attributes of the bow and quiver, casually hung on the tree behind her. While the precise meaning of the magnifying glass held by Cupid is elusive, it is clear that the lady has been touched by love, as betrayed by the subtle expression of melancholy in her face.