Laurent de La Hyre - Allegory of Grammar [1650]

Laurent de La Hyre - Allegory of Grammar [1650], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

This is probably one of a series of half-length female figures of the seven Liberal Arts which once belonged to Gédéon Tallemant (1613-1668), apparently painted for his house in the Rue d'Angoumois, Paris. The pictures vary in size, and all are dated 1649 or 1650. Grammar is here personified as a woman. The essence of this art is explained in the inscription, which may be translated as 'A meaningful and literate word spoken in a correct manner'. A second series of the Liberal Arts, also by La Hyre or a member of his studio, may have existed in Rouen; and a total of ten paintings of these subjects survive today. An identical version, perhaps from the Rouen series, is in Baltimore (Walters Art Gallery).

[Oil on canvas, 101.9 112.2 cm]