The Miracles of Saint James the Greater

Also known as: St. James the Greater and the Magician Hermogenes; St. James the Great and the Magician

About the Artwork

Noël Nicolas Coypel combined two stories associated with Saint James the Greater, one of the twelve apostles of Christ. In the foreground is the magician Hermogenes, begging forgiveness. Hermogenes had cast a spell on James, but the saint turned the curse back on him. When James offered to protect Hermogenes against the demons assaulting him, the magician cast aside his pagan texts in favor of Christianity. According to the second legend, James miraculously cured a paralytic man (in the middle ground at right), thereby averting his own execution and causing the prosecutor to convert. Although this painting is relatively small, the clear composition, grand architectural setting, and dignified and expressive poses of the figures endow it with monumental presence.

Inscriptions

Signed lower left: "N. Coypel / 1726"

Exhibition history

Art of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 9-December 2, 1934). The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 26-October 4, 1936). Héritage de France, French Painting 1610-1760. Montréal Museum of Fine Arts (organizer) (October 6-November 6, 1961); Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (November 16-December 6, 1961); National Gallery of Canada (January 4-February 4, 1962); Art Gallery of Ontario (February 16-March 18, 1962). Heritage de France, French Painting 1610-1760. Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal (October 6-November 6, 1961); Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Quebec City, Canada (November 16-December 16, 1961); National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ont.,, Canada (January 4-February 4, 1962); Art Gallery of Ontario, Ontario M5T 1G4, Canada (organizer) (February 16-March 18, 1962). Great Stories in Art. Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO (organizer) (February 13-March 27, 1966). Great Stories in Art. Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO (organizer) (February 13-March 27, 1966).

Quick Overview

Artist: Noël Nicolas Coypel (French, 1690–1734)
Date: 1726
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: Framed: 129.5 x 107.5 x 10.5 cm (51 x 42 5/16 x 4 1/8 in.); Unframed: 102 x 80.7 cm (40 3/16 x 31 3/4 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: European Painting and Sculpture
Credit line: Gift of Felix Wildenstein
Accession no.: 1929.96

Provenance

Elliott Gregory (New York, New York) Felix Wildenstein, by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1929.

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.