Hyppolite FLANDRIN (Lyon, 1809 - Rome, 1864) The Prophets (or Patriarchs) David and Jeremiah Pair of papers mounted on cardboard Monogrammed lower left: "H. F. 33.8 x 14.5 cm; 34.5 x 14.8 cm Provenance: - Remained in the artist's studio; his sale after death, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, May 15-17, 1865, nos. 27 and 31. - Sotheby's sale, Paris, November 18, 2002, n° 47. Exhibitions : - Exposition des œuvres d'Hippolyte Flandrin, Paris, École des Beaux-Arts, 1865, part of no. 87 (12th and 16th sketches). - Catalog of the exhibition Hippolyte, Paul, Auguste Les Flandrin artistes et frères, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, 2021, p.278, n° 327 (David), n° 330 (Jérémie), reproduced p.279. These two sketches, painted in 1859, are part of a major group of works by Hippolyte Flandrin, the cycle of frescoes for the church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, painted between 1842 and 1864. The artist conceived the decoration of the nave in two registers: in the lower part, scenes from the Old and New Testaments painted in bands, and in the upper part, monumental figures taking place in niches. Our two figures are very close to the final execution. Six sketches for this set have passed for sale in New York (Sotheby's, November 3, 2015, nos. 64-69).