French Painting before 1860
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : 18th century painting Music in old painting Early still life Orientalism 1830-1900 Ancient art by women
Chronology : 18th century 1710-1719 1760-1769 1780-1789 1810-1819 1820-1829 1830-1839 1840-1849
See also : 18th century painting Music in old painting Early still life Orientalism 1830-1900 Ancient art by women
Chronology : 18th century 1710-1719 1760-1769 1780-1789 1810-1819 1820-1829 1830-1839 1840-1849
WATTEAU
1
masterpiece
1717 Le Pèlerinage à l'Ile de Cythère
Louvre
Cythera is the worshipping island in which young men and women arrive separately and meet in a charming communion to restart to their village as couples in love. It is traditionally the birthplace of Aphrodite.
In 1717 le Pèlerinage à l'île de Cythère is the reception masterpiece that granted Antoine Watteau the full membership in the Académie Royale de peinture.
They had no category to classify that romantic entertainment landscape populated by couples of lovers, by theatrical characters in fancy attire and by dancers. They coined for it the name Fête galante. It was indeed in the mood of the aristocratic pleasures of the Régence, the regime of frivolities that followed the death in 1715 of King Louis XIV.
Watteau's managed here a happy synthesis of realty, allegory and mythology. In a kinetic effect far ahead of its time, the couples are getting closer toward a state of dancing intimacy as they come down to the boat.
The image is shared by Wikimedia. Please watch the video prepared by Khan Academy and shared by Smarthistory.
The creation process of that masterpiece was improved when a previous trial on the same theme was re-authenticated thanks to x-ray and infrared inspections. Despite a detailed provenance from the mid 18th century, this oil on canvas 97 x 116 cm fell into oblivion, being considered as late as 2018 in a Paris auction as Ecole française du XVIIIème siècle, entourage d'Antoine Watteau.
A much enthusiastic creator, Watteau worked in a continuous improvisation with pentimenti and over-layers or even more radical changes to his paintings.
This late afternoon scene of three couples walking arm-in-arms amidst various symbols of love is an autograph painting by Watteau on the Pèlerinage à l'ile de Cythère. That theme of an Arcadian paradise had been selected by the artist himself for his piece of reception at the Académie Royale de peinture, a special move against their usual request for a theme defined by them.
Accepted as an associated member in 1712, the artist had waived that mandatory realization until 1717 despite yearly reminders. It is guessed that the re-attributed work was an abandoned trial ca 1715-1716. The composition of the masterpiece will be significantly different in the details, more complex and in a larger size, but quite similar in its romantic feeling.
The x ray revealed that the Cythère had been painted over a Madonna and Child with a dove in the style of Rubens of which Watteau will make a final version currently held at the Hermitage. When he changed his mind for the use of that canvas, Watteau had turned it by 90 degrees.
That Cythère was not fully finished, which could explain that it was not known to Jullienne and not printed in period. It was sold for $ 1.86M by Christie's in January 25, 2023, lot 141.
In 1717 le Pèlerinage à l'île de Cythère is the reception masterpiece that granted Antoine Watteau the full membership in the Académie Royale de peinture.
They had no category to classify that romantic entertainment landscape populated by couples of lovers, by theatrical characters in fancy attire and by dancers. They coined for it the name Fête galante. It was indeed in the mood of the aristocratic pleasures of the Régence, the regime of frivolities that followed the death in 1715 of King Louis XIV.
Watteau's managed here a happy synthesis of realty, allegory and mythology. In a kinetic effect far ahead of its time, the couples are getting closer toward a state of dancing intimacy as they come down to the boat.
The image is shared by Wikimedia. Please watch the video prepared by Khan Academy and shared by Smarthistory.
The creation process of that masterpiece was improved when a previous trial on the same theme was re-authenticated thanks to x-ray and infrared inspections. Despite a detailed provenance from the mid 18th century, this oil on canvas 97 x 116 cm fell into oblivion, being considered as late as 2018 in a Paris auction as Ecole française du XVIIIème siècle, entourage d'Antoine Watteau.
A much enthusiastic creator, Watteau worked in a continuous improvisation with pentimenti and over-layers or even more radical changes to his paintings.
This late afternoon scene of three couples walking arm-in-arms amidst various symbols of love is an autograph painting by Watteau on the Pèlerinage à l'ile de Cythère. That theme of an Arcadian paradise had been selected by the artist himself for his piece of reception at the Académie Royale de peinture, a special move against their usual request for a theme defined by them.
Accepted as an associated member in 1712, the artist had waived that mandatory realization until 1717 despite yearly reminders. It is guessed that the re-attributed work was an abandoned trial ca 1715-1716. The composition of the masterpiece will be significantly different in the details, more complex and in a larger size, but quite similar in its romantic feeling.
The x ray revealed that the Cythère had been painted over a Madonna and Child with a dove in the style of Rubens of which Watteau will make a final version currently held at the Hermitage. When he changed his mind for the use of that canvas, Watteau had turned it by 90 degrees.
That Cythère was not fully finished, which could explain that it was not known to Jullienne and not printed in period. It was sold for $ 1.86M by Christie's in January 25, 2023, lot 141.
2
1718-1719 La Surprise
2008 SOLD for £ 12.3M by Christie's
La Surprise by Watteau surfaced somewhere in the British countryside after being presumably destroyed for two centuries. It was known from a copy, and the owner was unaware of being in possession of an original.
Of small size, it is an outdoor scene, elegant and dynamic, with feverish movement, with images typified according to the signature themes of the artist: the player of guitar, the couple of lovers, the puppy.
This painting 36 x 28 cm was sold for £ 12.3M from a lower estimate of £ 3M by Christie's on July 8, 2008.
Of small size, it is an outdoor scene, elegant and dynamic, with feverish movement, with images typified according to the signature themes of the artist: the player of guitar, the couple of lovers, the puppy.
This painting 36 x 28 cm was sold for £ 12.3M from a lower estimate of £ 3M by Christie's on July 8, 2008.
Getty Museum Buys $100m Trove of Works https://t.co/bD86lPUUmX pic.twitter.com/lqH9vWiQf1
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) July 21, 2017
3
masterpiece
1718-1719 Pierrot
Louvre
also titled Gilles
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
CHARDIN
1
for reference
1758 Le Bocal d'Abricots
Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto)
Chardin is appointed in 1755 trésorier of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture. In 1757 he is granted by King Louis XV an apartment in the Galeries du Louvre. He is also the tapissier of the annual Salon de peinture et de sculpture, in charge of the arrangement of the selected artworks.
Busy with these official functions and financially secure, Chardin executes still lifes in a new style started in 1748, very different from his earlier depictions of dead games, and closer to classical Dutch arrangements. He is more attentive to reflections, to light. The colors are less impastoed. The artist is more interested in volumes and composition than in details. The subjects are varied : game, fruits, bouquets, pots, jars, glasses.
Le Bocal d'abricots, painted and dated by Chardin in 1758, is an oval oil on canvas 57 x 51 cm. This marble table top is featuring glasses, pieces of bread, a knife, cups, a tambourine and a tied package placed around a jar containing apricots. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Busy with these official functions and financially secure, Chardin executes still lifes in a new style started in 1748, very different from his earlier depictions of dead games, and closer to classical Dutch arrangements. He is more attentive to reflections, to light. The colors are less impastoed. The artist is more interested in volumes and composition than in details. The subjects are varied : game, fruits, bouquets, pots, jars, glasses.
Le Bocal d'abricots, painted and dated by Chardin in 1758, is an oval oil on canvas 57 x 51 cm. This marble table top is featuring glasses, pieces of bread, a knife, cups, a tambourine and a tied package placed around a jar containing apricots. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
2
1760 Le Melon entamé
2024 SOLD for € 26.7M by Christie's, Unpaid
Le Bocal d'abricots was owned by the Parisian goldsmith and silversmith Jacques Roettiers. In 1760 Chardin executed and dated a pendant still life for this patron, in the same oval format.
On the same table top, two bottles and a pitcher surround a sliced melon, some peaches, plums and two pears. The freshly cut slice balanced precariously on top of the melon predated by 120 years the precarious arrangements of Cézanne's tabletops. The warm palette has been described by Rosenberg as a "mysterious half light". The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Both works were exhibited at the Salon de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1761 and illustrated by Saint-Aubin in the catalogue.
Coming from the former Marcille collection and a Rothschild provenance, Le Melon entamé was sold for € 26.7M from a lower estimate of € 8M by Christie's on June 12, 2024, lot 5.
An identical replica executed by the workshop in 1763 is owned by the Musée du Louvre.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc May 30, 2024
Jean Siméon Chardin’s The Cut Melon — a spellbinding work by the ‘great magician’. This masterpiece from the Rothschild family collection is offered in Paris on 12 June. Find out more here: https://christie-s.visitlink.me/5Y7cfR
On the same table top, two bottles and a pitcher surround a sliced melon, some peaches, plums and two pears. The freshly cut slice balanced precariously on top of the melon predated by 120 years the precarious arrangements of Cézanne's tabletops. The warm palette has been described by Rosenberg as a "mysterious half light". The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Both works were exhibited at the Salon de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1761 and illustrated by Saint-Aubin in the catalogue.
Coming from the former Marcille collection and a Rothschild provenance, Le Melon entamé was sold for € 26.7M from a lower estimate of € 8M by Christie's on June 12, 2024, lot 5.
An identical replica executed by the workshop in 1763 is owned by the Musée du Louvre.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc May 30, 2024
Jean Siméon Chardin’s The Cut Melon — a spellbinding work by the ‘great magician’. This masterpiece from the Rothschild family collection is offered in Paris on 12 June. Find out more here: https://christie-s.visitlink.me/5Y7cfR
- Christie's post promotes Jean Siméon Chardin's 1760 still-life "The Cut Melon," a Rothschild family masterpiece featuring a sliced cantaloupe, peaches, pears, plums, and glassware on a marble table, rendered with exquisite light and texture.
- Auctioned in Paris on June 12, 2024, the painting fetched a record €26.73 million ($28.76 million) for Chardin, surpassing prior benchmarks and underscoring his status as a pinnacle of 18th-century French realism.
- After the buyer's default, the work entered the Kimbell Art Museum's collection in May 2025, preserving public access to this "great magician's" illusion of tangible everyday objects.
Back Home…
— La Gazette Drouot – International (@Gazette_Inter) April 10, 2025
Chardin's ‘Melon entamé’ which sold for the record price of €26.7M is returned to its owners. The painting had been in default since its auction in June 2024 to an Italian Real Estate developer based in Switzerland. Declared insolvent, he was unable to pay. pic.twitter.com/XJE7Rhcu0x
3
1761 Panier de Fraises des Bois
2022 SOLD for € 24.4M by Artcurial
Jean-Siméon Chardin manages his career without taking care of artistic fashions. A highly skilled perfectionist, he takes the reality of texture and color as his top concern.
Following the path opened by Adriaen Coorte around 1700, Chardin opts for the simplest geometric tabletop compositions in a contrasted light in front of a dark raw background.
Le Panier de fraises des bois, oil on canvas 38 x 46 cm, was released for the Salon de 1761 and illustrated by Saint-Aubin in the livret of that exhibition. It displays a stack of wild strawberries as a spectacular conical tabletop in a basket. That vivid red fruit had been Coorte's preferred pictorial theme.
The composition is completed on the table by a glass filled with limpid water, and by two ornamental cut off flowers, two cherries and a peach. Chardin had skillfully added an upper layer of red lacquer to link together the grainy berries while he left slightly unfocused the carnations.
Recognized as a masterpiece of Chardin's maturity offering a perfect sharp viewing from an ideal distance of 5 m away, Le panier was kept in a private French collection since 1862. It was sold for € 24.4M from a lower estimate of € 12M by Artcurial on March 23, 2022, lot 15. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Following the path opened by Adriaen Coorte around 1700, Chardin opts for the simplest geometric tabletop compositions in a contrasted light in front of a dark raw background.
Le Panier de fraises des bois, oil on canvas 38 x 46 cm, was released for the Salon de 1761 and illustrated by Saint-Aubin in the livret of that exhibition. It displays a stack of wild strawberries as a spectacular conical tabletop in a basket. That vivid red fruit had been Coorte's preferred pictorial theme.
The composition is completed on the table by a glass filled with limpid water, and by two ornamental cut off flowers, two cherries and a peach. Chardin had skillfully added an upper layer of red lacquer to link together the grainy berries while he left slightly unfocused the carnations.
Recognized as a masterpiece of Chardin's maturity offering a perfect sharp viewing from an ideal distance of 5 m away, Le panier was kept in a private French collection since 1862. It was sold for € 24.4M from a lower estimate of € 12M by Artcurial on March 23, 2022, lot 15. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Asking Grok to compare Panier de Fraises des Bois by Chardin, sold by Artcurial on March 23, 2022, lot 15, with Le Melon entamé, sale cancelled for buyer's default after sold by Christie's on June 12, 2024, lot 5.
Overview
Both Panier de Fraises des Bois (The Basket of Wild Strawberries, c. 1761) and Le Melon Entamé (The Cut Melon, 1760) are masterpieces of still-life painting by Jean-Siméon Chardin (1699–1779), the preeminent French artist of intimate domestic scenes and everyday objects. Created at the peak of his career, these oval and rectangular compositions respectively showcase Chardin's mastery of light, texture, and subtle color harmonies, evoking a sense of quiet poetry and suspended time. They were both exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1761--Le Melon Entamé as a pendant to Le Bocal d’Abricots (now in the Art Gallery of Ontario), and Panier de Fraises des Bois independently—and share a provenance tied to the renowned Marcille collection, which amassed over 4,500 works by 18th-century French masters. These paintings highlight Chardin's influence from 17th-century Dutch still lifes, rendered with impasto techniques and soft, diffused lighting that imbues humble fruits and vessels with almost tactile presence.
Their auction histories reflect surging institutional interest in Chardin, with both setting records for the artist and 18th-century French Old Masters, though Le Melon Entamé's path was complicated by post-sale drama.
Date and Exhibition
Panier : c. 1761; exhibited at Salon of 1761 (catalogue no. 46).
Melon : 1760, signed and dated 'Chardin 1760'; exhibited at Salon of 1761 (with pendant Le Bocal d’Abricots).
Medium and DimensionsO
Panier : Oil on canvas; 38 x 46 cm (rectangular).
Melon : Oil on canvas; 57 x 51.5 cm (oval format, echoing the melon's shape).
Subject and Composition
Panier : A pyramidal basket of wild strawberries on a stone ledge, flanked by a glass of white wine, cherries, peaches, and two white carnations; simple geometric balance in white, red, and soft neutrals, with a diagonal flourish from the flowers for modern abstraction.
Melon : A sliced melon on a table, accompanied by greengage plums, peaches in a basket, two corked liqueur bottles, pears, and a flower-decorated ceramic pitcher; dynamic yet poised oval arrangement, with nuanced light creating buoyancy and volume amid rich greens, golds, and translucent flesh.
Artistic Significance
Panier : Iconic for its "extreme simplicity" and "audacious execution," blending silence and meditation; comparable to Panier de Prunes (Louvre) for its pyramidal form and peak-period assurance. Critics praise its "frank white-and-red accord" as unforgettable and proto-modern.
Melon : Monumental in scale and preservation; a "pure pictorial poetry" encapsulating Chardin's late genius in glazing, atmosphere, and half-light; invites tactile engagement with objects' weight and luster. One of his largest still lifes, rivaling Raymure à la Serviette for enveloping mellow light.
Provenance Highlights
Panier : Marcille collection (from 1862); remained in family until 2022; rediscovered in 19th century after obscurity.
Melon : Marcille collection (post-1876 sale); acquired by Baroness Nathaniel de Rothschild; descended through Rothschild heirs until 2024.
Auction Details
Panier : Artcurial, Paris, March 23, 2022, lot 15 (Maître Matthieu Fournier, with expert Éric Turquin).
Melon : Christie's, Paris, June 12, 2024, lot 5 (auctioneer Camille de Foresta).
Buyer and Outcome
Panier : New York dealer Adam Williams (on behalf of Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth); resold privately to Louvre in February 2024 for undisclosed sum (preempted export).
Melon : Italian investor Nanni Bassani Antivari; sale cancelled due to buyer's default (no payment); Christie's pursued legal action; repurchased by Rothschild heirs and sold privately to Kimbell Art Museum in 2025.
Market Impact
Panier : Set artist's record (until 2024); sparked French export debate and Louvre acquisition, affirming Chardin's rising status.
Melon : Surpassed prior record; most expensive Old Master and 18th-century French work sold in France (2024); default highlighted risks in high-value bids, but boosted Chardin's profile with Kimbell acquisition.
Similarities:
Both works exemplify Chardin's late style—effortless yet rigorous compositions of recurring motifs (e.g., fruits like peaches and plums, reflective glass)—elevating the mundane to the sublime. Their 2022–2024 sales underscore a "Chardin renaissance," driven by museum demand and the artist's underrepresentation in public collections relative to peers like Watteau. Provenance from elite French dynasties (Marcille/Rothschild) adds luster, and both were marketed as "rediscovered" gems from private holdings.
Differences:
Panier de Fraises des Bois emphasizes minimalist geometry and bold color restraint, suiting its smaller scale and rectangular format for intimate contemplation. Le Melon Entamé, larger and oval, feels more expansive and sensual, with deeper atmospheric effects and a pendant history that amplifies its narrative weight. Auction-wise, Le Melon's higher hammer reflected greater scarcity (fewer major Chardins remain private) and hype post-Panier's sale, but its default introduced rare auction-house vulnerability—contrasting Panier's smooth institutional transfer. Ultimately, both now enrich U.S. museums (Kimbell holds both indirectly via sales), ensuring Chardin's legacy endures beyond borders.
Overview
Both Panier de Fraises des Bois (The Basket of Wild Strawberries, c. 1761) and Le Melon Entamé (The Cut Melon, 1760) are masterpieces of still-life painting by Jean-Siméon Chardin (1699–1779), the preeminent French artist of intimate domestic scenes and everyday objects. Created at the peak of his career, these oval and rectangular compositions respectively showcase Chardin's mastery of light, texture, and subtle color harmonies, evoking a sense of quiet poetry and suspended time. They were both exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1761--Le Melon Entamé as a pendant to Le Bocal d’Abricots (now in the Art Gallery of Ontario), and Panier de Fraises des Bois independently—and share a provenance tied to the renowned Marcille collection, which amassed over 4,500 works by 18th-century French masters. These paintings highlight Chardin's influence from 17th-century Dutch still lifes, rendered with impasto techniques and soft, diffused lighting that imbues humble fruits and vessels with almost tactile presence.
Their auction histories reflect surging institutional interest in Chardin, with both setting records for the artist and 18th-century French Old Masters, though Le Melon Entamé's path was complicated by post-sale drama.
Date and Exhibition
Panier : c. 1761; exhibited at Salon of 1761 (catalogue no. 46).
Melon : 1760, signed and dated 'Chardin 1760'; exhibited at Salon of 1761 (with pendant Le Bocal d’Abricots).
Medium and DimensionsO
Panier : Oil on canvas; 38 x 46 cm (rectangular).
Melon : Oil on canvas; 57 x 51.5 cm (oval format, echoing the melon's shape).
Subject and Composition
Panier : A pyramidal basket of wild strawberries on a stone ledge, flanked by a glass of white wine, cherries, peaches, and two white carnations; simple geometric balance in white, red, and soft neutrals, with a diagonal flourish from the flowers for modern abstraction.
Melon : A sliced melon on a table, accompanied by greengage plums, peaches in a basket, two corked liqueur bottles, pears, and a flower-decorated ceramic pitcher; dynamic yet poised oval arrangement, with nuanced light creating buoyancy and volume amid rich greens, golds, and translucent flesh.
Artistic Significance
Panier : Iconic for its "extreme simplicity" and "audacious execution," blending silence and meditation; comparable to Panier de Prunes (Louvre) for its pyramidal form and peak-period assurance. Critics praise its "frank white-and-red accord" as unforgettable and proto-modern.
Melon : Monumental in scale and preservation; a "pure pictorial poetry" encapsulating Chardin's late genius in glazing, atmosphere, and half-light; invites tactile engagement with objects' weight and luster. One of his largest still lifes, rivaling Raymure à la Serviette for enveloping mellow light.
Provenance Highlights
Panier : Marcille collection (from 1862); remained in family until 2022; rediscovered in 19th century after obscurity.
Melon : Marcille collection (post-1876 sale); acquired by Baroness Nathaniel de Rothschild; descended through Rothschild heirs until 2024.
Auction Details
Panier : Artcurial, Paris, March 23, 2022, lot 15 (Maître Matthieu Fournier, with expert Éric Turquin).
Melon : Christie's, Paris, June 12, 2024, lot 5 (auctioneer Camille de Foresta).
Buyer and Outcome
Panier : New York dealer Adam Williams (on behalf of Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth); resold privately to Louvre in February 2024 for undisclosed sum (preempted export).
Melon : Italian investor Nanni Bassani Antivari; sale cancelled due to buyer's default (no payment); Christie's pursued legal action; repurchased by Rothschild heirs and sold privately to Kimbell Art Museum in 2025.
Market Impact
Panier : Set artist's record (until 2024); sparked French export debate and Louvre acquisition, affirming Chardin's rising status.
Melon : Surpassed prior record; most expensive Old Master and 18th-century French work sold in France (2024); default highlighted risks in high-value bids, but boosted Chardin's profile with Kimbell acquisition.
Similarities:
Both works exemplify Chardin's late style—effortless yet rigorous compositions of recurring motifs (e.g., fruits like peaches and plums, reflective glass)—elevating the mundane to the sublime. Their 2022–2024 sales underscore a "Chardin renaissance," driven by museum demand and the artist's underrepresentation in public collections relative to peers like Watteau. Provenance from elite French dynasties (Marcille/Rothschild) adds luster, and both were marketed as "rediscovered" gems from private holdings.
Differences:
Panier de Fraises des Bois emphasizes minimalist geometry and bold color restraint, suiting its smaller scale and rectangular format for intimate contemplation. Le Melon Entamé, larger and oval, feels more expansive and sensual, with deeper atmospheric effects and a pendant history that amplifies its narrative weight. Auction-wise, Le Melon's higher hammer reflected greater scarcity (fewer major Chardins remain private) and hype post-Panier's sale, but its default introduced rare auction-house vulnerability—contrasting Panier's smooth institutional transfer. Ultimately, both now enrich U.S. museums (Kimbell holds both indirectly via sales), ensuring Chardin's legacy endures beyond borders.
FRAGONARD
1
1769 FH d'Harcourt
2013 SOLD for £ 17M by Bonhams
Like all painters of his time excepted Chardin, Fragonard varied his styles to find customers. Influenced by Boucher, he early found fame in the theme of very young frivolous women with their games and passions.
Fragonard made a small series of oils on canvas known under the generic title of Portraits de fantaisie. Only one of these artworks is dated : 1769, the year of his marriage. It is not by chance.
Close to the aristocracy, Fragonard endeavours at that time to demonstrate that he may revolutionize the art of portrait. These paintings are comparable to the tronies made by Rembrandt. The likeness to the sitter is not the most important.
The movement of shoulders and head brings energy and even violence. Strong colors evoke passion. Fancy costumes "à l'Espagnole" provide a theatrical dimension that also positions the work out of its time.
Influenced by Chardin, Fragonard understood the importance of color. This series of fantasy portraits is an essential link in the history of art between Rembrandt and Manet. He will be the great-granduncle of Berthe Morisot.
Few models have been identified with certainty. Brilliant intellectual, François-Henri d' Harcourt enjoyed his portrait to the point that his family kept it until 1971.
This oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm was then purchased at auction by Dr. Rau. Coming now from this prestigious collection, it was sold to the benefit of UNICEF for £ 17M by Bonhams on December 5, 2013. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared on Wikimedia.
Fragonard made a small series of oils on canvas known under the generic title of Portraits de fantaisie. Only one of these artworks is dated : 1769, the year of his marriage. It is not by chance.
Close to the aristocracy, Fragonard endeavours at that time to demonstrate that he may revolutionize the art of portrait. These paintings are comparable to the tronies made by Rembrandt. The likeness to the sitter is not the most important.
The movement of shoulders and head brings energy and even violence. Strong colors evoke passion. Fancy costumes "à l'Espagnole" provide a theatrical dimension that also positions the work out of its time.
Influenced by Chardin, Fragonard understood the importance of color. This series of fantasy portraits is an essential link in the history of art between Rembrandt and Manet. He will be the great-granduncle of Berthe Morisot.
Few models have been identified with certainty. Brilliant intellectual, François-Henri d' Harcourt enjoyed his portrait to the point that his family kept it until 1971.
This oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm was then purchased at auction by Dr. Rau. Coming now from this prestigious collection, it was sold to the benefit of UNICEF for £ 17M by Bonhams on December 5, 2013. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared on Wikimedia.
2
1770 Un Philosophe lisant
2021 SOLD for € 7.7M by Enchères Champagne
In the mid 1760s Fragonard makes his hand to the tronies in the manner of Rembrandt. The chiaroscuro highlights the hair and beard of the old men, a theme more recently used by Tiepolo. The brushwork is a fa presto thick impasto. Une tête de vieillard vue de face, oil on canvas 42 x 34 cm, was sold for $ 1.37M by Christie's on January 26, 2011, lot 47.
The step further is the genre scene staging such characters. The Hamburger Kunsthalle has a reading philosopher, oil on oval canvas 52 x 74 cm dated around 1764 by that museum. The old man is scrutinizing with some excitement a paper stack in front of him. He is leaning with his left arm on other papers for offsetting his poor eyesight in that task. The contrast is dramatic between the face and cloth in the shadow and the brightly lit shaggy hair, thick beard and paper.
A previously unknown autograph replica has just surfaced during an inventory near Epernay. The philosopher is featured in a similar position excepted that the head is in full profile, providing a dynamic impetus in the flamboyant style of Fragonard. The creamy white is reminding Chardin. It is dated circa 1768-1770 by Cabinet Turquin.
Forgotten after being auctioned in 1779, this oil on oval canvas 46 x 57 cm is in great condition in its original frame. It was sold for € 7.7M at the Hôtel des Ventes d'Epernay on June 26, 2021 from a lower estimate of € 1.5M. It is illustrated in the pre sale release shared by the bidding platform Interencheres. Please watch the video shared by Artcento, where the painting is narrated by Stéphane Pinta from Cabinet Turquin.
Another oil on canvas had the same addressee, an inscription on the reverse of the frame by Fragonard to an unidentified Mme R. It has just resurfaced, forgotten by a family under a heavy layer of grime. Fortunately that old dust had protected the pigments against corrosion. The colors appear very fresh after the restoration. Its technique is typical of Fragonard around 1767-1769 with an overloaded brush, sometimes also painting with his fingers.
This Jeune fille au chapeau in bust length turns her head downwards with a nice childish gaze and smile. The large sun hat in the fashion of the period brings some mild shadow on the forehead. It was sold for € 3.25M by Boisgirard-Antonini on December 21, 2023, lot 196.
The step further is the genre scene staging such characters. The Hamburger Kunsthalle has a reading philosopher, oil on oval canvas 52 x 74 cm dated around 1764 by that museum. The old man is scrutinizing with some excitement a paper stack in front of him. He is leaning with his left arm on other papers for offsetting his poor eyesight in that task. The contrast is dramatic between the face and cloth in the shadow and the brightly lit shaggy hair, thick beard and paper.
A previously unknown autograph replica has just surfaced during an inventory near Epernay. The philosopher is featured in a similar position excepted that the head is in full profile, providing a dynamic impetus in the flamboyant style of Fragonard. The creamy white is reminding Chardin. It is dated circa 1768-1770 by Cabinet Turquin.
Forgotten after being auctioned in 1779, this oil on oval canvas 46 x 57 cm is in great condition in its original frame. It was sold for € 7.7M at the Hôtel des Ventes d'Epernay on June 26, 2021 from a lower estimate of € 1.5M. It is illustrated in the pre sale release shared by the bidding platform Interencheres. Please watch the video shared by Artcento, where the painting is narrated by Stéphane Pinta from Cabinet Turquin.
Another oil on canvas had the same addressee, an inscription on the reverse of the frame by Fragonard to an unidentified Mme R. It has just resurfaced, forgotten by a family under a heavy layer of grime. Fortunately that old dust had protected the pigments against corrosion. The colors appear very fresh after the restoration. Its technique is typical of Fragonard around 1767-1769 with an overloaded brush, sometimes also painting with his fingers.
This Jeune fille au chapeau in bust length turns her head downwards with a nice childish gaze and smile. The large sun hat in the fashion of the period brings some mild shadow on the forehead. It was sold for € 3.25M by Boisgirard-Antonini on December 21, 2023, lot 196.
1788 The Ambassador by Vigée Le Brun
2019 SOLD for $ 7.2M by Sotheby's
The arrival in Paris in July 1788 of three ambassadors from Mysore with a suite of about thirty people is a sensational and picturesque event. Great enemy of the English, the Sultan of Mysore was preparing a new war and hoped to be helped by France. The sumptuous Muslim clothes of his diplomats ensure their credibility.
Madame Vigée Le Brun remembers opportunely that one of her earliest ambitions had been to be a history painter. With the indispensable support of King Louis XVI, she obtains the authorization to paint the portraits of these exotic lords.
On January 30, 2019, Sotheby's sold for $ 7.2M from a lower estimate of $ 4M the full length portrait of the leader of the delegation, lot 48.
This oil on canvas 226 x 136 cm shows the white bearded man holding an oriental sword with curved blade. This composition is reminiscent of the portrait of the young Polynesian prince Omai by Reynolds in 1776. The exotic traveler is shown life-size, standing in front of a landscape in a counter-dive view that increases his dignity.
The image shared by Wikimedia is trimmed on the left and lower edges.
Madame Vigée Le Brun remembers opportunely that one of her earliest ambitions had been to be a history painter. With the indispensable support of King Louis XVI, she obtains the authorization to paint the portraits of these exotic lords.
On January 30, 2019, Sotheby's sold for $ 7.2M from a lower estimate of $ 4M the full length portrait of the leader of the delegation, lot 48.
This oil on canvas 226 x 136 cm shows the white bearded man holding an oriental sword with curved blade. This composition is reminiscent of the portrait of the young Polynesian prince Omai by Reynolds in 1776. The exotic traveler is shown life-size, standing in front of a landscape in a counter-dive view that increases his dignity.
The image shared by Wikimedia is trimmed on the left and lower edges.
masterpiece
1814 La Grande Odalisque by Ingres
Louvre
Introduction to Orientalism in 19th-Century French Art
Orientalism in art refers to the depiction of the "Orient"—regions including present-day Turkey, Greece, the Middle East, and North Africa—by Western artists, particularly those from France during the 19th century. This movement emerged as part of the Romantic era, fueled by European fascination with exotic cultures, landscapes, and peoples. French artists played a central role, often portraying the East as a land of mystery, sensuality, violence, and backwardness, which served both artistic and ideological purposes, including support for imperialism. The trend was sparked by increased contact following Napoleon Bonaparte's 1798 invasion of Egypt, which lasted until 1801 and inspired waves of travelers, scholars, and artists. A key catalyst was the French government's publication of Description de l’Égypte (1809–22), a monumental 24-volume work documenting Egypt's architecture, monuments, natural history, and society, which profoundly influenced French aesthetics and popularized Egyptian motifs in Empire-style decorative arts.
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780–1867): Never traveling to the East, Ingres drew from literary and artistic precedents to create idealized, erotic odalisques (female slaves or concubines). His La Grande Odalisque (1814, Louvre) features a reclining nude with elongated proportions, blending classical beauty with exotic accessories like a turban and hookah, symbolizing sensual isolation. Works like Odalisque in Grisaille (ca. 1824–34) further explore these themes through monochromatic studies.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Orientalism in art refers to the depiction of the "Orient"—regions including present-day Turkey, Greece, the Middle East, and North Africa—by Western artists, particularly those from France during the 19th century. This movement emerged as part of the Romantic era, fueled by European fascination with exotic cultures, landscapes, and peoples. French artists played a central role, often portraying the East as a land of mystery, sensuality, violence, and backwardness, which served both artistic and ideological purposes, including support for imperialism. The trend was sparked by increased contact following Napoleon Bonaparte's 1798 invasion of Egypt, which lasted until 1801 and inspired waves of travelers, scholars, and artists. A key catalyst was the French government's publication of Description de l’Égypte (1809–22), a monumental 24-volume work documenting Egypt's architecture, monuments, natural history, and society, which profoundly influenced French aesthetics and popularized Egyptian motifs in Empire-style decorative arts.
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780–1867): Never traveling to the East, Ingres drew from literary and artistic precedents to create idealized, erotic odalisques (female slaves or concubines). His La Grande Odalisque (1814, Louvre) features a reclining nude with elongated proportions, blending classical beauty with exotic accessories like a turban and hookah, symbolizing sensual isolation. Works like Odalisque in Grisaille (ca. 1824–34) further explore these themes through monochromatic studies.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
DAVID
1
masterpiece
1807-1808 Le Sacre de Napoléon
Louvre
Jacques-Louis David is passionately committed to the Révolution. He was elected deputy for Paris at the Convention and voted for the death of Louis XVI. His support for the Empire will be unwavering. He applies the traditions of history painting to contemporary events, with a grandiose emphasis.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
2
1820 Ramel de Nogaret
2008 SOLD for $ 7.2M by Christie's
Jacques-Louis David is passionately committed to the Révolution. He was elected deputy for Paris at the Convention and voted for the death of Louis XVI. His support for the Empire will be unwavering. He applies the traditions of history painting to contemporary events, with a grandiose emphasis.
David runs his business well. His prices are high and his paid exhibition of the Sabines for five years in a room of the Louvre brings him a fortune. He receives a pension as Premier Peintre de l'Empire and increases his income through education and the right to engraving.
The regicides are proscribed after the fall of the Empire. David joins the imperial diaspora in Brussels where he fails to obtain an official position. From then on, to earn a living, he welcomes the commissions by his friends for portraits.
David's work has always been dual : on the one hand the heroic paintings which attract the public, on the other the realistic portraits. The portrait of Delahaye, painted in Paris in 1815, was sold for € 2.14M by Christie's on June 22, 2006.
The regicide Ramel, also known as Ramel de Nogaret, was also an expatriate in Brussels. He had been Ministre des Finances under the Directoire and tried to resume political service during the Cent Jours. He was a close friend of David of whom he will deliver the funeral oration.
In 1820 David paints the portraits of Ramel and his wife. Ramel, aged 60, expresses his incorruptible virtue with dignity.
The two paintings, which had been separated, were reunited after the sale of the portrait of Ramel by Binoche for FF 16M on October 18, 1995. They were again separated in the auction by Christie's on April 15, 2008. The portrait of Ramel, oil on canvas 59 x 46 cm, was sold for $ 7.2M, lot 72. The portrait of his wife was not sold. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
David runs his business well. His prices are high and his paid exhibition of the Sabines for five years in a room of the Louvre brings him a fortune. He receives a pension as Premier Peintre de l'Empire and increases his income through education and the right to engraving.
The regicides are proscribed after the fall of the Empire. David joins the imperial diaspora in Brussels where he fails to obtain an official position. From then on, to earn a living, he welcomes the commissions by his friends for portraits.
David's work has always been dual : on the one hand the heroic paintings which attract the public, on the other the realistic portraits. The portrait of Delahaye, painted in Paris in 1815, was sold for € 2.14M by Christie's on June 22, 2006.
The regicide Ramel, also known as Ramel de Nogaret, was also an expatriate in Brussels. He had been Ministre des Finances under the Directoire and tried to resume political service during the Cent Jours. He was a close friend of David of whom he will deliver the funeral oration.
In 1820 David paints the portraits of Ramel and his wife. Ramel, aged 60, expresses his incorruptible virtue with dignity.
The two paintings, which had been separated, were reunited after the sale of the portrait of Ramel by Binoche for FF 16M on October 18, 1995. They were again separated in the auction by Christie's on April 15, 2008. The portrait of Ramel, oil on canvas 59 x 46 cm, was sold for $ 7.2M, lot 72. The portrait of his wife was not sold. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
GERICAULT
1
1818 Portrait of the Dedreux Children
2009 SOLD for € 9M by Christie's
A pupil of Carle Vernet and Pierre-Narcisse Guérin, Théodore Géricault wanted to express excessive emotions. He chose as themes the officers on horseback of the Napoleonic Wars and the muscular male nudes in the style of Michelangelo.
The fall of the Empire opens a new phase, which culminates in 1819 with The Raft of the Medusa, a monumental work without mercy which symbolizes the true destiny of men, in a heroism devoid of meaning and hope.
In his workshop of the rue des Martyrs, Géricault regularly meets other artists including Carle and Horace Vernet, Delacroix and Dedreux-Dorcy. He makes a few portraits of the two children of Dedreux-Dorcy's brother.
In 1818 Géricault is forced against his will to take an interest in children. He could not recognize the birth of his son Georges-Hippolyte, the result of his incest with the wife of his uncle and declared as the son of the housemaid born from an unknown father.
The portrait of Alfred and Elise Dedreux is an oil on canvas 99 x 79 cm painted in 1818. The boy is 8 years old and the girl two years younger. They resemble each other and are similarly hairstyled and dressed. The girl is standing, dominating this scene.
At that time Géricault sought to convert into a neo-classical style. The double portrait is chilling. The gazes of the children are uncompromising for this world of adults in which they do not enter. The landscape behind them is arbitrary and unidentifiable. Two small flowers fall from the hand of the girl who pays no attention to them. This picture is a double tronie, anticipating by its psychological stiffness the studies of mental patients of the later period of the artist.
The young Alfred was passionate about the images of horses painted by Géricault. He will specialize in this theme under the name of Alfred de Dreux, thus usurping a noble particle.
The portrait of the Dedreux children remained in Elise's family until 1925. From the Saint-Laurent - Bergé collection, it was sold for € 9M from a lower estimate of € 4M by Christie's on February 23, 2009, lot 83. It was bought in that sale by Liliane Bettencourt. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The fall of the Empire opens a new phase, which culminates in 1819 with The Raft of the Medusa, a monumental work without mercy which symbolizes the true destiny of men, in a heroism devoid of meaning and hope.
In his workshop of the rue des Martyrs, Géricault regularly meets other artists including Carle and Horace Vernet, Delacroix and Dedreux-Dorcy. He makes a few portraits of the two children of Dedreux-Dorcy's brother.
In 1818 Géricault is forced against his will to take an interest in children. He could not recognize the birth of his son Georges-Hippolyte, the result of his incest with the wife of his uncle and declared as the son of the housemaid born from an unknown father.
The portrait of Alfred and Elise Dedreux is an oil on canvas 99 x 79 cm painted in 1818. The boy is 8 years old and the girl two years younger. They resemble each other and are similarly hairstyled and dressed. The girl is standing, dominating this scene.
At that time Géricault sought to convert into a neo-classical style. The double portrait is chilling. The gazes of the children are uncompromising for this world of adults in which they do not enter. The landscape behind them is arbitrary and unidentifiable. Two small flowers fall from the hand of the girl who pays no attention to them. This picture is a double tronie, anticipating by its psychological stiffness the studies of mental patients of the later period of the artist.
The young Alfred was passionate about the images of horses painted by Géricault. He will specialize in this theme under the name of Alfred de Dreux, thus usurping a noble particle.
The portrait of the Dedreux children remained in Elise's family until 1925. From the Saint-Laurent - Bergé collection, it was sold for € 9M from a lower estimate of € 4M by Christie's on February 23, 2009, lot 83. It was bought in that sale by Liliane Bettencourt. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
2
masterpiece
1818-1819 Le Radeau de la Méduse by Géricault
Louvre
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Grok thoughts :
Quote
S. C. ANDERSON (SCA) @christianlexus Apr 12, 2020
Théodore Géricault, Le radeau de la Méduse (The Raft of the Medusa). Théodore Géricault, 1819 A massive oil on canvas in the Louvre & a tribute to both our species failings & endurance. Always fascinated by it but nevermore apropos than in these dark days where SOME find rescue.
Grok thoughts :
Quote
S. C. ANDERSON (SCA) @christianlexus Apr 12, 2020
Théodore Géricault, Le radeau de la Méduse (The Raft of the Medusa). Théodore Géricault, 1819 A massive oil on canvas in the Louvre & a tribute to both our species failings & endurance. Always fascinated by it but nevermore apropos than in these dark days where SOME find rescue.
- Géricault's 1819 painting "The Raft of the Medusa" immortalizes the 1816 wreck of the French frigate Méduse, where 147 survivors on a makeshift raft endured starvation and cannibalism due to the captain's incompetence, with only 15 rescued after 13 days, sparking public outrage against the Bourbon restoration.
- Posted in April 2020 during the COVID-19 onset, the artwork's portrayal of desperation and selective salvation resonates with pandemic inequities, as ventilator shortages and uneven aid distribution evoked similar themes of societal abandonment.
- In response to a thread on coveted artworks, the choice juxtaposes Turner's elegy for a fading era with Géricault's visceral indictment of human frailty, highlighting art's power to critique power structures amid crisis.
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DELACROIX
1
masterpiece
1831 La Liberté guidant le Peuple
Louvre
Eugène Delacroix is ambitious. He wants his art to be a flagship of modernism. He uses as themes of history some contemporary events including the Greek war of Independence. Against the classicism of Ingres he offers the reinforcement of the emotion through bright colors. The sudden death of Géricault pushes him prematurely to the rank of leader of the romantic painting in France.
The path he chooses is difficult : without any figure of famous personality in the opposite of David and Gros, Delacroix will have to demonstrate his own genius to find patrons. The contemporaries do not like the dirt of his war characters. His realism anticipates Courbet.
In 1830 violent events also happen in Paris. The barricades of the Trois Glorieuses (three glorious days) transfer the French monarchy from the Bourbons to the Orléans. Delacroix had no reason to participate in this new revolution : both branches of the royal family were his clients.
Overcome in the usual competitions of that time on predetermined historical themes, Delacroix feels that he can be the first to express the heroic atmosphere of the Trois Glorieuses to please the new regime.
Already about the Greek war Delacroix had shown fighting and harmed people, and also a feminine Victory inspired by ancient art as a separate artwork. For the Trois Glorieuses he has the very innovative idea of mixing the two themes in a single heroic painting of very large size. He immediately begins to prepare drawings.
Success is mixed. Exhibited in 1831 at the Salon de Paris under the slightly bland title Scènes de Barricades, the oil painting 260 x 325 cm also known as 28 Juillet is bought by the king and then retracted by a minister after a few months with the very understandable excuse that it was an incitement to riot. Accepted by the Louvre at the beginning of the Troisième République, this Liberté guidant le peuple becomes the symbol of democracy. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
A 64 x 85 cm canvas which had certainly been the very first oil sketch made by Delacroix for his Liberté was sold for £ 3.1M by Christie's on December 14, 2017, lot 8. Remaining traces of a change of orientation of the canvas allow to state that this painting is autograph. It is a precious testimony of the creative process for one of the most universally admired masterpieces of French art.
Grok thoughts :
Quote
Kobi @TheFynn Oct 25, 2018
Liberty Leading The People Eugène Delacroix; 1830 inspired by Rubens, Delacroix is known for his use of colour and movement. his work inspired the impressionist movement that followed this piece hangs at the Louvre in Paris and known in French as “La Liberté guidant le peuple”
The path he chooses is difficult : without any figure of famous personality in the opposite of David and Gros, Delacroix will have to demonstrate his own genius to find patrons. The contemporaries do not like the dirt of his war characters. His realism anticipates Courbet.
In 1830 violent events also happen in Paris. The barricades of the Trois Glorieuses (three glorious days) transfer the French monarchy from the Bourbons to the Orléans. Delacroix had no reason to participate in this new revolution : both branches of the royal family were his clients.
Overcome in the usual competitions of that time on predetermined historical themes, Delacroix feels that he can be the first to express the heroic atmosphere of the Trois Glorieuses to please the new regime.
Already about the Greek war Delacroix had shown fighting and harmed people, and also a feminine Victory inspired by ancient art as a separate artwork. For the Trois Glorieuses he has the very innovative idea of mixing the two themes in a single heroic painting of very large size. He immediately begins to prepare drawings.
Success is mixed. Exhibited in 1831 at the Salon de Paris under the slightly bland title Scènes de Barricades, the oil painting 260 x 325 cm also known as 28 Juillet is bought by the king and then retracted by a minister after a few months with the very understandable excuse that it was an incitement to riot. Accepted by the Louvre at the beginning of the Troisième République, this Liberté guidant le peuple becomes the symbol of democracy. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
A 64 x 85 cm canvas which had certainly been the very first oil sketch made by Delacroix for his Liberté was sold for £ 3.1M by Christie's on December 14, 2017, lot 8. Remaining traces of a change of orientation of the canvas allow to state that this painting is autograph. It is a precious testimony of the creative process for one of the most universally admired masterpieces of French art.
Grok thoughts :
Quote
Kobi @TheFynn Oct 25, 2018
Liberty Leading The People Eugène Delacroix; 1830 inspired by Rubens, Delacroix is known for his use of colour and movement. his work inspired the impressionist movement that followed this piece hangs at the Louvre in Paris and known in French as “La Liberté guidant le peuple”
- Delacroix's 1830 masterpiece captures the July Revolution's chaos, portraying Marianne as a bare-breasted allegorical figure rallying diverse revolutionaries—bourgeois, worker, and child—over barricades strewn with fallen comrades, symbolizing cross-class unity against monarchy.
- Drawing from Rubens' vibrant energy, Delacroix's loose brushstrokes and bold colors broke neoclassical norms, paving the way for Impressionism by emphasizing emotion and movement over precise lines.
- Initially controversial for its nudity and radical politics, leading to government rejection, the painting later became France's enduring republican icon, adorning coins and inspiring cultural nods like Coldplay's 2008 album cover.
2
1834 Choc de Cavaliers Arabes
1998 SOLD for FF 51M by Piasa
Eugène Delacroix was nourishing his romantic ardor with an imaginary Levant. In 1832 his trip to Morocco, Andalusia and Algeria reveals to him the real life and the shimmering colors of the orientalism. He brings back seven sketchbooks and 800 sheets that would inspire him for many years.
In 1834 the oil on canvas Femmes d'Alger dans leur Appartement is the masterpiece of this new exoticism. It recreates the living room of a harem by featuring women from Paris dressed in Algiers fashion. The painting which indirectly addresses the taboo theme of prostitution is accepted at the Salon and immediately purchased by the Louvre. Picasso will compare this mixture of genres to his own Demoiselles d'Avignon.
In the same year, Choc de Cavaliers Arabes is a memory of a military celebration. The artist shows the moment of heightened energy when two riders stop their galloping horses after having fired the rifle shot required by the fantasia. The theme did not appeal to the Parisian jury : this piece was rejected by the Salon. Influenced directly by Géricault and Gros, Delacroix excelled in the representation of horses.
This oil on canvas 80 x 100 cm was sold by Piasa on June 19, 1998 for FF 51M, equivalent to € 7.7M, from a lower estimate of FF 8M.
The rejection by the Salon did not discourage the artist : two autograph drawings were made in 1834 in reverse composition to prepare the lithographic edition. One of them, 18 x 25 cm, was sold for € 39K by Artcurial on June 16, 2020.
In 1834 the oil on canvas Femmes d'Alger dans leur Appartement is the masterpiece of this new exoticism. It recreates the living room of a harem by featuring women from Paris dressed in Algiers fashion. The painting which indirectly addresses the taboo theme of prostitution is accepted at the Salon and immediately purchased by the Louvre. Picasso will compare this mixture of genres to his own Demoiselles d'Avignon.
In the same year, Choc de Cavaliers Arabes is a memory of a military celebration. The artist shows the moment of heightened energy when two riders stop their galloping horses after having fired the rifle shot required by the fantasia. The theme did not appeal to the Parisian jury : this piece was rejected by the Salon. Influenced directly by Géricault and Gros, Delacroix excelled in the representation of horses.
This oil on canvas 80 x 100 cm was sold by Piasa on June 19, 1998 for FF 51M, equivalent to € 7.7M, from a lower estimate of FF 8M.
The rejection by the Salon did not discourage the artist : two autograph drawings were made in 1834 in reverse composition to prepare the lithographic edition. One of them, 18 x 25 cm, was sold for € 39K by Artcurial on June 16, 2020.
1845 Venise by Corot
2018 SOLD for $ 9M by Christie's
The trend in France is in the historical landscape. Corot is not someone complicated. He enjoys walking around, simply. Like the English tourists, he draws many sketches. Following the example of Michallon, he also paints outdoors in oil on canvas. These small size paintings are not intended for his trade but to provide inspiration for the background of his genre scenes.
Nobody is really convinced by the art of Corot until the young Baudelaire, in 1845, observes that the simplicity of his landscapes is not naive but is instead a supreme harmony. As a result Corot's art is forever unclassifiable, between classicism and modernism. Despite his pleasure in open-air painting, he cannot be considered as a forerunner of the Impressionnistes, in the opposite of Boudin and Courbet slightly later.
Throughout his life Corot has a lot of friends. He supplies paintings to a magistrate of Mantes whom he met from 1840 and decorates in his own hand the walls of the bathroom with Italian views.
Corot had visited Venice in 1828 and 1834. For the same friend he painted in 1845 an enlarged version in the format 48 x 82 cm of a view of the quay of the Schiavoni towards Santa Maria della Salute.
In 1957 this painting caught the attention of David Rockefeller. It is not a Canaletto : the animation is poor. It is not a Guardi : the sky is too blue. It is neither a Turner nor a Monet : the line is too sharp to offer an atmosphere. Despite the confusing perspective on the Piazzetta, it is not a wide-angle photo. The erroneous shadows of earlier versions of this image have fortunately been rectified.
This bright painting has two other qualities : it exudes a great serenity and its width is in harmony with the fireplace of the library in the country house at Hudson Pines. It superseded at this place a Jas de Bouffan by Cézanne of which Rockefeller was tired and was to remain there until his death. It was sold for $ 9M from a lower estimate of $ 5M by Christie's on May 8, 2018, lot 4.
Nobody is really convinced by the art of Corot until the young Baudelaire, in 1845, observes that the simplicity of his landscapes is not naive but is instead a supreme harmony. As a result Corot's art is forever unclassifiable, between classicism and modernism. Despite his pleasure in open-air painting, he cannot be considered as a forerunner of the Impressionnistes, in the opposite of Boudin and Courbet slightly later.
Throughout his life Corot has a lot of friends. He supplies paintings to a magistrate of Mantes whom he met from 1840 and decorates in his own hand the walls of the bathroom with Italian views.
Corot had visited Venice in 1828 and 1834. For the same friend he painted in 1845 an enlarged version in the format 48 x 82 cm of a view of the quay of the Schiavoni towards Santa Maria della Salute.
In 1957 this painting caught the attention of David Rockefeller. It is not a Canaletto : the animation is poor. It is not a Guardi : the sky is too blue. It is neither a Turner nor a Monet : the line is too sharp to offer an atmosphere. Despite the confusing perspective on the Piazzetta, it is not a wide-angle photo. The erroneous shadows of earlier versions of this image have fortunately been rectified.
This bright painting has two other qualities : it exudes a great serenity and its width is in harmony with the fireplace of the library in the country house at Hudson Pines. It superseded at this place a Jas de Bouffan by Cézanne of which Rockefeller was tired and was to remain there until his death. It was sold for $ 9M from a lower estimate of $ 5M by Christie's on May 8, 2018, lot 4.
Nous serons ouverts ce soir jusqu'à 19h30 pour vous permettre d'admirer les oeuvres de la collection #Rockefeller avant leur départ. Voici également une découverte en vidéo de l'exposition : https://t.co/AWyhGw672E pic.twitter.com/xHGDkuLfl0
— Christie's Paris (@christiesparis) March 21, 2018
