Agony in the Garden with donor Louis I of Orléans, by Colart de Laon?, 1405-08. Rec Feb. 11, 2026

American Friends helps share the Prado's collection with a weekly session in English on the museum's social media. We thank our members and donors who make all of our projects possible. Join and help us do more. https://www.afpradomuseum.org de Laon, Colart (?, fl. 1377 - ?, fl. 1411) Louis of Orléans (Paris, 1372 - Paris, 1407) This painting is a representation of Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. The painter depicts God the Father surrounded by rays, wearing a blue robe and holding the orb in his left hand while blessing Christ with his right. On the left is Saint Agnes, accompanied by a lamb (in Latin agnus), an iconographic symbol that refers to her name. Her left hand supports the head of the donor, who is holding a scroll with the opening verse of Psalm 51 of the Bible, Miserere mei: ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness’, uttered in contexts of penance and pleas for forgiveness. The donor has been tentatively identified as Louis of Orléans, a son of the French King Charles V, who was appointed as regent in 1392. This painting is attributed to Colart de Laon, who was first mentioned in 1377, when he was paid for work done for Philip the Bold. In Paris on August 12, 1391 he was one of twenty-five artists present when new statutes were promulgated to regulate the activities of the painters and sculptors of Paris. From that year onwards he was described as ‘painter and personal attendant’ to both the king and his brother Louis of Orléans. There are no known works that can be securely attributed to Colart. A few have been tentatively ascribed to him on the basis of secondary factors, such as his relationship with the Duke of Orléans and his possible origins in the town of Laon.