Pierre-Nicolas LEGRAND de LERANT - Lot 46

Pierre-Nicolas LEGRAND de LERANT (Pont-l'Evêque, 1758 - Bern, 1829) Psyche in the Underworld Canvas. 68.5 x 84.5 cm Pierre-Nicolas Legrand studied with Jean-Baptiste Descamps at the École des Beaux-arts in Rouen in 1773, then with David in Paris in 1782. Fleeing the revolutionary turmoil, he settled in Bern around 1794, where he painted many portraits. The subject of our painting is taken from the adventures of Psyche and Amour, based on Apuleius' Metamorphoses or The Golden Ass. Venus imposes several trials on Psyche so that she can find Cupid. She must bring back water from the River Styx and take a box to Proserpine, Queen of the Underworld, so that she can deposit some of her beauty in it. The moment depicted on the canvas is when Psyche, holding a coin to pay Charon for crossing the River Styx, arrives at the gate of Hell guarded by Cerberus, the three-headed dog (left). As one of the few mortals to return from the underworld, she symbolizes the immortality of the human soul. The neoclassical subject is transcended here by Legrand de Lerant in his pre-romantic style, with fantastic luminist effects, particularly in the terrifying vapors of the background. We know of another composition by Legrand on this subject, similar but different, of the same dimensions (canvas, 67.5 x 87 cm, location unknown).