BAUGIN, Lubin

In his religious paintings, Baugin specialized in small Holy Families based on the designs of Parmigianino but incorporating also some of the sentiment of Guido Reni.

Olindo and Sofronia is a rare profane subject by the artist, whose body of known work consists almost entirely of religious themes, - except for a few austere still-lifes. The story of Olindo and Sofronia is told in Torquato Tasso’s great epic poem, Gerusalemme Liberata (1581), set during the First Crusade and the Christian capture of Jerusalem.

There is unlikely to be a specific moral in this still-life, which seems to be simply an exercise in accurate observation.

In this picture the archaic arrangement of objects seems rather meagre compared with Dutch still-lifes at that time. Baugin’s paintings are dominated by aesthetic elements that reflect a strict Calvinist morality. The symbolic props have been placed very economically: a dark mirror represents sight, a bunch of carnations in a vase - smell, bread and wine - taste, a chessboard in a closed box - touch, and finally the vermilion mandolin - hearing. These are not far from a game of cards (with a Jack of Spades on top) and a tied-up purse. Similar to ‘Merry Society’ type of paintings, music is regarded as morally corrupt and in opposition to the eucharistic symbols of bread and wine.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 12 minutes):

Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in G major for two mandolins and orchestra, RV 532

Lubin Baugin has earned the nickname “Le Petit Guide” (Little Guido) because he was strongly influenced by Guido Reni.