According to the legend, Saint Ursula, a Christian princess from Britain or Brittany, made a holy pilgrimage to Rome with 11,000 virgins. Dressed in yellow and holding a flag with a red cross, Ursula watches her companions embark on their return voyage. They carry bows and arrows, weapons that represent their death later in the story.
The balance between the soft warmth of the sky and calm sea is typical of Claude’s seascapes. The buildings, trees and ships, all depicted in detail, frame the scene. Claude spent most of his life in Rome: the buildings on the left were inspired by those familiar to him and to this painting’s owner, Fausto Poll (1581–1652), a future cardinal. The palace was inspired by the residence of the powerful Barberini family, Claude’s most influential patrons, whose ship – with their emblem on the flags – is in the centre.
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Humphrey Wine, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Seventeenth Century French Paintings’, London 2001; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
J. Smith, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French Painters: In Which is Included a Short Biographical Notice of the Artists, with a Copious Description of Their Principal Pictures […], vol. 2, London 1830
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
This eighteenth-century French frame in the Louis XV style is crafted entirely from oak. The plain swept outlines reveal the back’s gilt lower edge, which is adorned with carved chained cabochons (egg-and-nest). It features delicately carved flower motifs that cascade along the swept outlines. Pierced shell motifs at the centre and corner cartouches have ‘queue de cochon’ (pig’s tail) and ‘rinceau’ (a branch with foliage). The sanded flat transitions into a sight edge decorated with French acanthus leaves. The craftsmanship, particularly the work of the ‘répareur’ who added texture to the backgrounds and intricate details to the leaves, flowers and shells, is characteristic of the Louis XV period.
Acquired sometime after 1935, the frame was meticulously regilded when fitted to Claude’s Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula.
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
