Studio of Philippe de Champaigne (Brussels 1602-1674 Paris)

The present lot formed part of a set of twelve scenes depicting the life of Saint Benoit, as recounted in a work by Angelus Sangrinus. The series was commissioned in 1646 by Queen Anne of Austria (1601-1666) to decorate her apartment at the convent of Val-de-Grâce, to where she eventually retired. The artist’s studio is believed to have played a significant role in the execution of the cycle, of which eight other works are recorded, with six in the Musée Royal des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, one in the Musée de Menton, and another in the Hermitage (see Dorival, op. cit., pp. 21-22).