Bidspirit auction | De La Fosse after Eustache

De La Fosse after Eustache Le Sueur - 18th C. Oil painting on Vellum, “The Crucifixion” - De La Fosse after Le Sueur The Crucifixion of Christ
French School, 18th Century 
Oil on vellum, laid to panel. 
Painted area: 31 × 19.5 cm (12.25 × 7.75 in.) 
Total: 34 × 25.5 cm (13.5 × 10 in.)
 Inscribed on verso: « a été copié par Monsieur De La Fosse d’après l’original de Le Sueur » A luminous 18th-century devotional painting on vellum depicting the Crucifixion of Christ, executed in the refined classical manner of Eustache Le Sueur (1617-1655), the revered French Baroque master. The soft modelling, harmonious proportions, and restrained palette convey the quiet spirituality for which Le Sueur was celebrated. The work’s smooth vellum surface enhances the subtle transitions of tone and light, a hallmark of high academic craftsmanship. The reverse bears a contemporary inscription reading « a été copié par Monsieur De La Fosse d’après l’original de Le Sueur », referencing a member of the distinguished De La Fosse / Delafosse artistic lineage—possibly Charles de La Fosse (1636-1716), painter to Louis XIV, or Jean-Charles Delafosse (1734-1791), architect and designer of the Louis XVI period. This inscription situates the piece within the French academic tradition of reproducing revered masters for study and devotion. Condition: vellum well preserved and stable; fine craquelure and toning consistent with age; original unpainted margins typical of the medium.
Importance: a rare 18th-century oil on vellum after Le Sueur, inscribed by Monsieur De La Fosse, exemplifying the enduring academic reverence for France’s classical painters.