Artwork
The Kiss of Peace and Justice
The Kiss of Peace and Justice is an oil painting by the French Classical Baroque artist Laurent de La Hyre. It dates from 1654 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The restrained palette and clarity of forms align with La Hyre’s tendency toward controlled composition, favoring precise delineation and refined detail.
Laurent de La Hyre’s The Kiss of Peace and Justice (1654) is an oil painting on canvas with dimensions of 54.9 cm in height and 76.2 cm in width. The handling reflects the artist’s characteristic polished finish, typical of mid-seventeenth-century French painting, where figures are rendered with careful modeling and smooth transitions in light and shadow. Stylistically, the composition juxtaposes the allegorical figures of Peace and Justice in an embrace, emphasizing harmony through classical drapery and balanced poses.
The restrained palette and clarity of forms align with La Hyre’s tendency toward controlled composition, favoring precise delineation and refined detail.
History & Provenance
The work titled The Kiss of Peace and Justice was painted by Laurent de La Hyre in 1654 and is classified as an oil painting on canvas. It entered the collections of Claude Tolozan and Pierre Paul Louis Randon de Boisset before being acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains on view under accession number 1971.102. The painting measures 54.9 cm in height by 76.2 cm in width and was created in France.
Context
Laurent de La Hyre's 1654 painting The Kiss of Peace and Justice, an oil on canvas measuring 54.9 by 76.2 cm, treats an allegorical rather than a formal historical subject. The embrace of Peace and Justice draws on the imagery of Psalm 85, in which mercy and truth meet and righteousness and peace kiss. The work belongs to La Hyre's mature period in Paris and reflects the clarity and restraint characteristic of mid-seventeenth-century French painting.
Its early ownership passed through the collectors Claude Tolozan and Pierre Paul Louis Randon de Boisset before the painting was acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Overview
Created in 1654 by Paris‑born painter Laurent de La Hyre, The Kiss of Peace and Justice is an oil on canvas now held by the Cleveland Museum of Art. The composition presents an allegorical tableau in which two female figures, embodying the virtues of peace and justice, are shown in a gentle embrace within a calm, verdant setting.
Subject & Meaning
The central motif features the two women seated on a stone bench; the figure representing justice holds a balanced scale, while the counterpart symbolising peace clutches a sword, suggesting the interdependence of these ideals. Their close contact and the harmonious landscape convey a message that societal equilibrium arises when peace and justice are united.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Laurent de La Hyre (French pronunciation: ; 27 February 1606 – 28 December 1656) was a French Baroque painter, born in Paris. He was a leading exponent of the neoclassical style of Parisian Atticism.
- The Kiss of Peace and Justice
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