Théodore Chassériau (French, 1819-1856)

Of the numerous preparatory sketches made by Chassériau for his monumental mural in the baptismal chapel of Saint-Roch, Paris (fig. 1), this highly developed sketch appears to be the last. Throughout his preparation for the painting, Chassériau made numerous changes to the figures and composition of the work. This sketch most closely resembles the finished painting, and only the poses of Saint Philip and the angel differ slightly. According to Sandoz, this sketch was painted in 1853, prior to Chassériau's completion of the mural, but was not dated until the following year.

The source of the subject is the New Testament, Acts, VII: 26-40. Saint Philip was traveling in the desert when he came upon a eunuch of Candace, Queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch was studying scripture in his chariot and as their caravan reached a river, he requested Philip to baptize him. The saint complied, after which he was swept away by an angel.

In this drawing, Chassériau departs from the linear precision of his master Ingres in favor of looser, more expressive forms influenced by Delacroix and the Baroque masters. His primary compositional inspiration, according to Sandoz, was the painting of the same subject by Nicolas Bertin (1718) at the Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris. In addition, Chassériau surely was influenced in his rendering of the subject by contemporary ideas of the exoticism of Africa and the Orient.