Nicolas Chaperon (1612–c. 1656) – Joshua Commands the Sun and Moon to Stand Still – Sacrae Historiae Acta, 1649

Description

A powerful 17th-century etching by the French painter and engraver Nicolas Chaperon, depicting the biblical episode in which Joshua commands the sun and moon to stand still during Israel’s battle against the Amorites. The densely constructed composition captures the violence and momentum of the battlefield, with Joshua dramatically raised above the fighting soldiers as he gestures toward the heavens. Fallen bodies, weapons, shields and tightly grouped warriors fill the foreground, while the sun and moon appear above the scene, reinforcing the miraculous nature of the episode. The print bears the Latin inscription referring to Joshua 10, together with the initials identifying Raphael as the inventor of the composition and Chaperon as its engraver. The engraving belongs to Chaperon’s celebrated Sacrae Historiae Acta, a suite of 52 etchings after the frescoes of Raphael and his workshop in the Vatican Logge, first published in Rome in 1649. The series played an important role in disseminating Raphael’s Vatican compositions beyond Rome and became a significant visual reference for later European artists. This impression measures approximately 23.5 × 28.5 cm and preserves the dramatic complexity and vigorous linework characteristic of Chaperon’s interpretation of Raphael.