May (painting)

The Mays were a series of paintings in 17th and early 18th century Paris. They were commissioned by the goldsmiths' guild of Paris to offer to the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in the early days of the month of May. The tradition began in 1630 and one painting was offered each year between then and 1707, with the exception of 1683 and 1694.

List of the Mays

Image Year Painter Title Notes Current location / status
1630 Georges Lallemant Saints Peter and Paul Climbing Up To The Temple Saint-Chéron, parish church
1631 Pierre-Antoine Lemoine The Miracle of the Madonna Lost
1632 Aubin Vouet The Deaths of Ananias and Sapphira Rouen, musée des Beaux-Arts
1633 Georges Lallemant Saint Stephen Praying Before His Martyrdom Lost
1634 Jacques Blanchard The Descent of the Holy Spirit Paris, cathédrale Notre-Dame
1635 Laurent de La Hyre Saint Peter Curing the Sick By His Shadow Paris, cathédrale Notre-Dame
1636 Jacques de Létin Saint Paul Preaching on the Areopagus Destroyed in 1870; previously Strasbourg, musée des Beaux-Arts
1637 Laurent de La Hyre The Conversion of saint Paul Paris, cathédrale Notre-Dame
1638 Claude Vignon The Baptism of Queen Candace's Eunuch Lost
1639 Aubin Vouet The Centurion Cornelius at Saint Peter's Feet Paris, cathédrale Notre-Dame
1640 Aubin Vouet The Freeing of Saint Peter Toulouse, musée des Augustins
1641 Nicolas Prévost The Beheading of Saint James Lost
1642 Charles Poerson Saint Peter Preaching in Jerusalem Paris, cathédrale Notre-Dame
1643 Sébastien Bourdon The Crucifixion of Saint Peter Paris, cathédrale Notre-Dame
1644 Michel Corneille l'Ancien Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas at Lystra Arras, musée des Beaux-Arts
1645 Charles Errard Saint Paul Regains His Sight Lost
1646 Louis Boullogne Saint Paul's Miracle at Ephesus Arras, musée des Beaux-Arts
1647 Charles Le Brun The Crucifixion of Saint Andrew Paris, cathédrale Notre-Dame
1648 Louis Boullogne The Martyrdom of Saint Simon Arras, musée des Beaux-Arts
1649 Eustache Le Sueur Saint Paul Preaching at Ephesus Paris, musée du Louvre
1650 Nicolas Loir Saint Paul Blinding the False Prophet Barjesus and Converting the Proconsul Sergius Paris, cathédrale Notre-Dame
1651 Charles Le Brun The Stoning of Saint Stephen Paris, cathédrale Notre-Dame
1652 Louis Testelin Saint Peter Reviving the Widow Tabitha Arras, musée des Beaux-Arts
1653 Charles Poerson Saint Paul Bitten by a Snake on Malta Lost
1654 Zacharie Heince The Conversion of Lydia Lost
1655 Louis Testelin The flagellation of Saint Paul and Saint Silas Paris, cathédrale Notre-Dame
1656 Étienne Villequin Saint Paul Delivering Agrippa Lyon, église Saint-Pothin
1657 Louis Boullogne The Beheading of Saint Paul Paris, musée du Louvre
1658 Michel Corneille l'Ancien Saint Peter at Caesarea Toulouse, église Saint-Pierre
1659 René Dudot Saint Peter Reviving the Widow Tabitha Lost
1660 Antoine Paillet The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew Lyon, cathédrale Saint-Jean
1661 Noël Coypel Saint James Being Led to Torture, Curing a Paralysed Man and Embracing His Accuser Paris, musée du Louvre
1662 Daniel Hallé The Martyrdom of Saint John at the Latin Gate Clermont-Ferrand, musée d'Art Roger Quillot
1663 Thomas Blanchet The Rapture of Saint Philip Arras, musée des Beaux-Arts
1664 Jérôme Sorlay Christ Appears to Saint Peter Versailles, cathédrale Saint-Louis
1665 Zacharie Heince Saint Peter and Simon the Magician Lost
1666 Nicolas de Plattemontagne Saint Paul et Silas Paris, musée du Louvre
1667 Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne Saint Paul's Martyrdom at Lystra Marseille, musée des Beaux-Arts
1668 Claude-François Vignon Saint Bartholomew Healing the King of Armenia's Daughter Lost
1669 Louis Boullogne The Ascension Lost
1670 Gabriel Blanchard Saint André trésaille de joie à la vue de son supplice Paris, cathédrale Notre-Dame
1671 Jean-Baptiste de Cany The Conversion of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite at Athens Lost
1672 Michel Corneille le Jeune The Calling of Saint Peter and Saint Andrew Arras, musée des Beaux-Arts
1673 Jean Jouvenet Jesus Healing a Paralysed Man Lost (destroyed in 1944 in the chapel of the École militaire de Saint-Cyr)
1674 Claude II Audran The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist Paris, musée du Louvre
1675 René-Antoine Houasse The Vision of Saint Stephen Paris, musée du Louvre
1676 Michel Ballin Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas Separate Lost
1677 François Verdier The Resurrection of Lazarus Paris, église Saint-Germain-des-Prés
1678 Bon Boullogne Christ Healing a Paralysed Man at the Baths of Bethseda Arras, musée des Beaux-Arts
1679 Jean-Baptiste Corneille The Freeing of Saint Peter Lost
1680 Antoine Coypel The Assumption of the Virgin Mirande, église Sainte-Marie
1681 Alexandre Ubelesqui The Baptism of Christ Lost
1682 Jean Cotelle The Marriage at Cana Yssingeaux, église Saint-Pierre
1683 no may no may
1684 Charles-François Poërson Christ Healing the Sick at Gennesaret Saint-Symphorien-en-Laye, église Notre-Dame
1685 Louis de Boullogne The Centurion at Christ's Feet Arras, musée des Beaux-Arts
1686 Claude Guy Hallé Jesus Driving the Money-Changers out of the Temple Arras, musée des Beaux-Arts
1687 Louis Chéron The Prophet Agabus Predicting to Saint Paul What He Would Suffer At Jerusalem Paris, cathédrale Notre-Dame
1688 Guy-Louis Vernansal Christ Reviving Jairus' Daughter Arras, musée des Beaux-Arts
1689 Louis Chéron Salome Carrying the Head of John the Baptist Lost
1690 Simon Guillebault Christ Reviving the Widow of Nain's Son Larchant, église Saint-Martin
1691 Alexandre Ubelesqui Christ Healing the Sick Paris, musée du Louvre
1692 Arnould de Vuez The Incredulity of Saint Thomas Lyon, cathédrale Saint-Jean
1693 Joseph Parrocel Saint John the Baptist Preaching Arras, musée des Beaux-Arts
1694 no may no may
1695 Louis de Boullogne the younger Christ and the Samaritan Woman Wardour Castle, Wiltshire
1696 Joseph Christophe The Miracle of the Loaves Lost
1697 François Marot Christ Appearing to the Three Marys Lost
1698 Joseph Vivien The Adoration of the Magi Lost
1699 François Tavernier The Repentance of Saint Peter Lost
1700 Guy-Louis Vernansal Christ and the Deaf-Mute Boy Possessed by an Evil Spirit Lost
1701 Étienne Regnault Christ and the Woman Caught in Adultery Lost
1702 Mathieu Elias Sceva's Children Attacked by a Demon Paris, cathédrale Notre-Dame
1703 Louis de Silvestre Saint Peter Curing a Paralysed Man at the Temple Gate Arras, musée des Beaux-Arts
1704 Claude Simpol Christ in the House of Martha and Mary Arras, musée des Beaux-Arts
1705 Louis Galloche Saint Paul Departs for Miletus Paris, musée du Louvre
1706 Pierre-Jacques Cazes The Curing of the Woman with a Flow of Blood Arras, musée des Beaux-Arts
1707 Jacques Courtin Saint Paul preaching at Troad and Reviving the young Eutychus Toulouse, cathédrale Saint-Étienne