The Four Elements, Air

At a time when the court of the Dukes of Lorraine was particularly brilliant, the death of Henri II in 1624 without a male heir led to the downfall of the duchy. Opposed to the rise to power of Henry II's nephew Charles IV (1604-1675), and seeing the latter's alliance with the Habsburgs in Vienna taking shape, Louis XIII (1601-1643) occupied the duchy, forcing Charles IV to abdicate in 1634. It seems that Richelieu (1585-1642) returned from this military campaign with a painting, La Chasse de la duchesse de Lorraine, either a diplomatic gift or part of the spoils of the Lorraine campaign. In 1646, the work joined the other paintings in the Four Elements series, commissioned by the cardinal for the cabinet of Queen Anne of Austria, and was renamed L'Air. The ensemble glorified the royal family and Cardinal de Richelieu. Duchess Nicole (1608-1657), center, rides a luxuriously harnessed horse. The birds of prey posed on the hands of members of her court evoke the hunting party in progress. In the background, a group of hunters are pursuing animals stalked by dogs. The background is occupied by a vast landscape in which several buildings are visible: some have tried to identify the castles of Custines and Condé, but there is no certainty on this point. Deruet was a court painter in Nancy. The Four Elements cycle shows that he was part of the late Mannerist tradition, with its refined, precious effects. The harsher style of this canvas corresponds to an earlier period in his career, prior to the other paintings in the cycle. The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Chartres owns a replica of this composition, attesting to its success.