CHARONTON, ENGUERRAND

(Enguerrand Quarton; c. 1420-1466)

   French painter from Laon who moved to Southern France in 1444 where he was active in Aix-en-Provence, Arles, and Avignon. From the banker Pierre Cadard, Charonton received the commission to paint the Virgin of Mercy (1452; Chantilly, Musée Condé) for the Celestine Convent of Avignon. In the work, executed in collaboration with Pierre Villate of Limoges, members of the clergy and monarchy kneel under the protection of the Virgin's open mantle. Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist recommend Cadard's parents—Jean, the physician to Charles Vl's children, and his wife, Jeanne des Moulins—who kneel in prayer at either side. Charonton also painted the Coronation of the Virgin (1454; Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, Musée de l'Hospice) for the Church of the Carthusians in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. Below the main scene is a crucifixion flanked by the cities of Jerusalem and Rome and angels who carry the souls of the blessed up to heaven, with the donor, the priest Jean de Montagnac, at the foot of the cross. On the lowest portion of the painting are depictions of purgatory and hell. The most striking aspects of Charonton's work are the aesthetic appeal of the Virgin, the use of brilliant colors, the hierarchic placement of the figures, and the clear organization of the complex scene.