Jacques-Louis David

Jules David (L.1437) and Eugène David (L. 839); 
David sale, Paris, 17 April 1826;
with W.R. Jeudwine and Y. ffrench, Four centuries of Italian Landscape, London, Alpine Club, 1961, no. 72, reproduced pl. VIII;
Denys Sutton, London,
by descent to the present owner

P. Rosenberg and L.-A. Prat, Jacques-Louis David, 1748-1825, Catalogue raisonné des dessins, Milan 2002, vol. II, p. 773, no. 1247, reproduced fig. 1247

Laid down on modern cardboard mount. Tip of the left corner missing and right top and bottom corners also made up. Tiny light staining to tthe right towards the margin. Ink and wash quite fresh. Sold in a modern wooden frame
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

David lived in Rome from November 1775 to July 1780, staying at the Académie de France which was housed at the time in the Palazzo Mancini.  While there, he drew extensively, largely copying classical sculptures, works which would later serve him well in his paintings.  He also made a number of copies after Old Master paintings and drew a variety of landscapes in and around Rome.  These drawings were made in sketchbooks, which on his return to France he mounted in albums, organized by subject.  These albums were kept in his studio until his death in 1825, after which his sons, Jules and Eugène, broke up the original albums, composing them into 12 different albums, and it was at this moment that they put their paraphes on the drawings to confirm their authenticity. The albums were included as one lot in the estate sale of 17 April 1826, where they remained unsold and were returned to David's widow.  She died soon after and the albums were reoffered in a sale on 11 March 1835.  At this point, two went to the Louvre (numbers 7 and 9) and the rest were bought by members of the family.  The present location of three albums (nos. 2, 5, and 12) is unknown; others are in museums: the Fogg (no. 1), the Getty (no. 11), the Pierpont Morgan Library (no. 8), and Stockholm (no. 3), while nos. 6 and 10 were dismembered and sold, around 1978 and 1959 respectively.  Pierre Rosenberg and Louis-Antoine Prat suggest, in their catalogue raisonné of David's drawings, that the present sheet would have almost certainly been part of one of these albums, both because of its style and subject matter and because of the presence of the sons' paraphes.  For an extremely impressive and complete discussion of the composition and history of the albums, see Rosenberg and Prat, op. cit., vol. I, pp. 391-407.