Musées de Langres – Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot – Musée d'Art et d'Histoire

All eyes – and the light – fall on the infant, as his mother presents him to the two shepherds on the left. The vine branches at the feet of Christ allude to the Gospel according to John: “I am the vine, you are the branches”. The background is in the shadows but not dark, which fosters a mood of serene intimacy and invites contemplation. A very similar composition on the same subject by the artist’s friend Carlo Saraceni (1579–1620) may have influenced this work.
Originally from Lorraine, Jean Leclerc spent the first part of his life in Venice, where he met Saraceni. He also spent some time in Rome with Saraceni between 1612 and 1616. Both artists were influenced by Caravaggio’s (1571–1610) lighting effects. Leclerc’s Italian works exhibit his debt to Caravaggio’s and Saraceni’s powerful style. In 1622, Leclerc returned to Nancy, where he worked for the Dukes of Lorraine. He remained faithful to the spirit of Caravaggio’s style, but his play with light and dark was more muted.
Under the Ancien Régime, this painting, which originally may have been an altarpiece, hung in the Saint-André side chapel of Langres Cathedral. Some of the works decorating it were commissioned by a Duke of Lorraine, which may explain why the chapel included a painting by one of his court painters. Leclerc also received commissions from the Jesuits and the Carmelites of Chaumont. Towards the end of his life, he trained a number of artists, including the Langres painter Jean Tassel (1608–1667).