This room contains paintings and ceramic works from the 15th-17th centuries.
Portraiture, which became an independent genre during the Renaissance era and was in high demand, is represented by three works demonstrating both the artists’ close attention to the expressions and personal characteristics of their subjects as well as their mastery of the artistic techniques of Renaissance art.
Portrait of a Youth (1570-1575) is most likely the work of Pierre Dumonstier (approx. 1540-1603), one of the most famous portrait painters of his time.
Portrait of Henri III, the Duke of Anjou (1560-1570) was painted by an unknown artist, and depicts its subject, who would later become king of France, at approximately 15 or 16 years old.
Portrait of a Woman (mid 1530s-1540s) was painted by Corneille de Lyon (1510-1575) in his uniquely characteristic style.
Josse Lieferinxe, also known as Maître de Saint Sébastien (? - after 1505), painted Saint Sebastian in front of Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian towards the end of the 15th century as part of a set of altar doors with scenes from the life of St. Sebastian. The scene depicted here of the joint emperors of Rome interrogating St. Sebastian comes from a legend about a Roman soldier secretly converting to Christianity. The artist made free use of linear perspective and lighting to depict three-dimensional forms. Similar techniques were used by the author of Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem, a colorful composition made in the later half of the 15th century that originally adorned an altar door in the Abbey of St Honorius in Thuison; as a result of this work, the artist was given the title Master of the Thuison Altarpiece. At the same time, he also did not turn away from two-dimensional depictions, an abundance of gold leaf, and several other common features of Medieval paintings.
The Lamentation (approx. 1616) is one of several famous paintings by Jacques-Charles Bellange (approx. 1575-1616), the majority of whose works have not survived to the present day. His unique, precise style, as well as the compositional and coloristic choices which were seemingly employed towards the end of the artist’s life, are characteristic of Mannerism, a movement in European art to which Bellange’s art belongs. The donor depicted at Christ’s feet serves as a portrait most likely of Charles of Lorraine (Bellange was considered a consummate portraitist among his peers).
Georges Lallemand (approx. 1575-1636), one of the great Nicolas Poussin’s teachers,
is represented here by his painting Adoration of the Magi. This work, which belongs to the 1620s, a period marking the emergence of the striking, dynamic Baroque style, depicts not only the Eastern magi bringing gifts to the infant Jesus, but a whole range of characters, children and adults, who make up a diverse, gay, active crowd.
The separate display cases contain various ceramic works. Inside one of them can be seen examples of majolica which reflect the influence of Italian art.
The second display presents items from the 16th century which were created in the workshop of Bernard Pelissy (approx. 1510-1589/1590), a Renaissance ceramist known for his “rustic ware”, dishes with depictions of insects, reptiles, and amphibians, realistic down to the most miniscule details. The display also contains works from the 17th century created by Palissy’s followers.
The third display case is dedicated to the famous Saint-Porchaire ware, exquisite works made from white clay with inlays of various colors which received their name from their presumed origins, the workshops of Saint-Porchaire. Of the relatively small number of such items in the world - the current total is slightly more than fifty - the four items from the Hermitage collection serve as examples of elegant secular utensils meant to decorate a table. The superb forms of Bowl with the Coat-of-Arms of Montmorency-Laval (1510-1528) and Bowl with the Coat of Arms of the d'Epinay Family (1540-1550s) draw inspiration from Classical vessels, while Salt-Cellar in the Form of Hexahedral Architectural Construction (1550-1570s) and Salt-Cellar in the form of a Triangular Architectural Construction (1550-1560s) were completed in the spirit of Greco-Roman architecture. The design of these works is similar to sculptural decorations, and the ornamental motifs are borrowed from Classical art, which bears witness to the fact that Saint-Porchaire ware was made during the Renaissance era.
