Pierre-Charles Poussin, 'Pardon Day in Brittany', 1851
About the work
Overview
Pierre-Charles Poussin’s painting of 1851 shows a crowd of pilgrims who have gathered for the Pardon day at Guingamp in Brittany. Pardons were a Breton tradition in which the faithful would gain absolution for their sins in return for joining a procession to worship at selected shrines.
Brittany, with its ancient traditions and costumes, became a popular subject with artists in the second half of the nineteenth century, and Poussin revels in the quaintness of the woodland scene. He creates a panorama filled with small details – from a scuffle and a pedlar hawking ribbons to a woman peeling turnips and mothers nursing babies. The decorous nature of the scene perhaps suggests that it is taking place before the festivities are fully underway. Poussin’s interest is not in the religious aspect of it all but in the colourful and picturesque nature of the gathering.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Pardon Day in Brittany
- Artist
- Pierre-Charles Poussin
- Artist dates
- 1819 - 1904
- Date made
- 1851
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 146 × 327 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed; Dated
- Acquisition credit
- Presented by R.E. Lofft, 1870
- Inventory number
- NG810
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Martin Davies, with additions and some revisions by Cecil Gould, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: French School: Early 19th Century, Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, etc.’, London 1970; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1957Martin Davies, National Gallery Catalogues: French School, 2nd edn (revised), London 1957
-
1970Davies, Martin, and Cecil Gould, National Gallery Catalogues: French School: Early 19th Century, Impressionists, Post-Impressionists etc., London 1970
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
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.