In 1912, a young German art historian named Hermann Voss was traveling through France, refining his eye through visits to various museums—an experience he found more valuable than countless hours of art history lectures at Heidelberg University. At just 28 years old, Voss had already earned recognition as the author of a thesis on Wolf Huber, an Austrian painter from the Danube School, published five years earlier in Leipzig. His passion for research and artistic discovery continued to drive his scholarly pursuits.
During his visit to the Nantes Museum of Fine Arts, two paintings particularly caught Voss's attention: nocturnal scenes depicting "The Denial of Saint Peter" and "An Angel Appearing to Saint Joseph." Both works bore the signature "G. de La Tour," identified as a 17th-century painter. What struck the young scholar was the exceptional quality of these candlelit scenes, executed with a mastery that seemed to transcend their apparent obscurity in art historical circles.
This encounter would prove to be a pivotal moment in art history. Hermann Voss's keen eye and scholarly acumen led to the rediscovery of Georges de La Tour, a French painter who had been virtually forgotten for two and a half centuries following his death in 1652. The artist, who had once enjoyed royal patronage and created some of the most spiritually profound paintings of the 17th century, had fallen into such complete obscurity that many of his works had been misattributed to other masters.
Voss's systematic research and careful analysis of painting techniques, subject matter, and historical documents gradually brought La Tour back from the shadows of art history. The German scholar's methodical approach involved examining similar works across various collections, comparing brushwork and compositional elements, and researching archival materials to piece together the forgotten master's biography and oeuvre.
The rediscovery was particularly remarkable given the complete nature of La Tour's disappearance from public consciousness. Unlike many forgotten artists who maintain some presence in art historical literature, La Tour had been so thoroughly erased that his paintings were attributed to various other artists, including Spanish masters like Velázquez and Murillo, or French painters like the Le Nain brothers.
Voss's work revealed La Tour as a master of candlelight effects and religious subject matter, an artist who transformed simple devotional scenes into profound meditations on faith, human dignity, and divine grace. The painter's nocturnal scenes, illuminated by single candle flames, demonstrated an extraordinary understanding of light and shadow that rivaled the great masters of his era.
The scholarly detective work undertaken by Hermann Voss ultimately restored Georges de La Tour to his rightful place in art history. Today, La Tour is recognized as one of the most distinctive and spiritually compelling painters of 17th-century France, his works treasured in major museums worldwide. This remarkable rescue from oblivion stands as a testament to the crucial role that dedicated art historians play in preserving and recovering our cultural heritage.
