s St. James the Greater - Hull Museums Collections

St. James the Greater

Vignon has a reputation as one of the most eccentric and individualistic of all French Baroque painters. He drew from a number of influences, ranging from Caravaggio (1573-1610) to the early work of Rembrandt (1606-69). Vignon also favoured a certain element of French late 16th century Mannerism, and it is this curious fusion which has come to characterise his work. much of his early career was spent in Rome, where St. James the Greater was probably painted. St. James the Greater represents much of this stylistic melange. This offers some explanation as to why this painting resisted identification at the Ferens for over fifty years. The attribution to Vignon is made on purely stylistic grounds due to the treatment of the face and the sober palette.