A cycle of eleven paintings commissioned in 1772 for the Chapelle Saint-Louis at the École Militaire in Paris, depicting the life of Saint Louis, has been rediscovered. The chapel was built under Louis XV by architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, and the paintings were executed by Jean-Baptiste-Marie Pierre following a carefully devised iconographic program. The discovery sheds new light on a major decorative ensemble from the Ancien Régime.
This rediscovery matters because it restores a missing chapter in French art history, revealing the original decorative scheme of a royal chapel that had long been thought lost or dispersed. It also highlights the role of key figures such as Madame de Pompadour and financier Joseph Pâris Duverney in the founding of the École Militaire, and underscores the importance of archival research in reconstructing the cultural heritage of 18th-century France.