Artwork

The Ascension and the Incredulity of Saint Thomas (sketch for the decoration of the chapel at Chatsworth)

The Ascension and the Incredulity of Saint Thomas (sketch for the decoration of the chapel at Chatsworth) is an oil painting by the Barbizon school artist Louis Laguerre. It dates from 1695 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

Louis Laguerre’s 1695 oil sketch, titled *The Ascension and the Incredulity of Saint Thomas*, was produced as a preparatory design for the decorative scheme of the chapel at Chatsworth. The work is part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection and illustrates a biblical moment in which Christ rises above a gathering of witnesses.

Subject & Meaning

The composition captures two intertwined New Testament episodes: the heavenly ascent of Christ and the skeptical reaction of Thomas, who doubts the resurrection until he sees the wounds. Figures below gaze upward, their gestures conveying both reverence and uncertainty, while angels hover in the clouds, underscoring the divine nature of the event.

Technique & Style

Laguerre employs a restrained palette of browns and beiges, allowing the dramatic chiaroscuro to dominate the visual impact. Light streams from the upper heavens, illuminating the central figure and casting a warm glow across the surrounding clouds, while deeper shadows give the scene a three‑dimensional quality characteristic of late‑Baroque theatricality.

History & Provenance

Originally conceived as a sketch for the Chatsworth chapel commission, the painting remained in the artist’s studio before entering the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it is currently on public display. Its survival offers insight into Laguerre’s preparatory process for large‑scale ecclesiastical projects.

Context

Created during the height of the English Baroque period, the work reflects the period’s taste for grand religious narratives rendered with dramatic lighting. Laguerre, a French-born painter active in England, frequently supplied designs for aristocratic patrons, integrating continental stylistic influences with local devotional requirements.