Standing Ecclesiastic With Arms Upraised 1755 - 1824

Anicet Charles Gabriel Lemonnier made this drawing of an ecclesiastic figure in, likely, France sometime in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. At this time the Catholic Church’s power was being challenged by Enlightenment thinkers. The figure’s upward gaze and open arms signal piety, and the drawing may function as a conservative statement about the importance of the Church. Lemonnier was active during the French Revolution. As such, we should consider how this drawing participates in period debates about the role of religion in public life. The figure's vestments communicate the power and authority of the Church, but the drawing's understated style signals, perhaps, that this power is waning. Was Lemonnier commissioned by the church, or did he make this drawing independently? By researching the artist’s biography, and by examining similar images from the period, we can better understand Lemonnier’s stance on the shifting social and political landscape of late 18th century France.