1.1 Introduction
In 1813 Joseph-François Ducq (1762-1829) painted two versions of the Portrait of Joseph-Charles De Meulemeester at Work in the Loggia of the Vatican [1-2].1 Both paintings show a ‘Movable Ladder’ hence the title of this article. The portrait is interesting for several reasons. In what follows, the painting will be analysed not only in light of the sitter’s activity as an artist and here the ‘movable ladder’ comes into play but also in light of its status as a historical document, as the painting mentions no fewer than 51 names associated with the ‘Belgian-French’ artistic milieu in Rome between 1768 and 1813.
1
Joseph-François Ducq,
Portrait of Joseph-Charles De Meulemeester Working in the Loggia of the Vatican (preparatory study?), ca. 1813,
oil on canvas, 48 x 37 cm,
Brussels, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, inv. no. 2563
2
Joseph-François Ducq,
Portrait of Joseph-Charles De Meulemeester Working in the Loggia of the Vatican, 1813,
oil on canvas, 75.5 x 57.4 cm,
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-5061
Notes
1 The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels hold the smaller, somewhat more sketchy version, unsigned and undated, oil on canvas, 48 x 37 cm (inv. no. 2563), which could indicate that it is more likely a preliminary study for the larger version rather than a replica. The larger version, oil on canvas, 75,5 x 57,4 cm, was recently acquired by the Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-5061, Reynaerts 2020. This last specimen originates from the collection of Joseph van Huerne (1752-1844), a nobleman from Bruges, collector, patron, and benefactor, see Bruges 1844, lot 57 (p. 17); see also Coekelberghs 1988, no. 18; Devliegher 2001, p. 101-108; Miarelli Mariani 2003, p. 309; Gilet 2007, p. 232-233; Marechal 2025.