- 114
Eugène Delacroix
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 GBP
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Description
- Eugène Delacroix
- Etude pour "L'Education d'Achille "
- dated 1er juillet 1845 (lower right); signed, dated and inscribed Par Eug. Delacroix / 1er juillet 1845, fait à mon atelier rue de la paix no 1 avant que nous allions dîner (on the reverse)
- pen and ink and wash on paper
- 20.3 by 33.4cm., 8 by 13⅛in.
Provenance
M. Villot (sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 11th February 1865)
M. Dubuisson (purchased at the above sale)
Private Collection
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, 21st January 2003, lot 176
Purchased at the above sale by the late owner
M. Dubuisson (purchased at the above sale)
Private Collection
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, 21st January 2003, lot 176
Purchased at the above sale by the late owner
Literature
Adolphe Moreau, Eugène Delacroix et son œuvre, Paris, 1873, p. 288
Alfred Robaut, L'Œuvre complet d'Eugène Delacroix, Paris, 1885, p. 435, no. 1719, catalogued
Maurice Sérullaz, Inventaire général des dessins. Ecole française. Dessins d'Eugène Delacroix, Paris, 1984, vol. I, p. 164, cited with no. 305
Lee Johnson, The Paintings of Eugène Delacroix. A Critical Catalogue, Oxford, 1989, vol. V, p. 56, n. 1 (cited with no. L222)
Alfred Robaut, L'Œuvre complet d'Eugène Delacroix, Paris, 1885, p. 435, no. 1719, catalogued
Maurice Sérullaz, Inventaire général des dessins. Ecole française. Dessins d'Eugène Delacroix, Paris, 1984, vol. I, p. 164, cited with no. 305
Lee Johnson, The Paintings of Eugène Delacroix. A Critical Catalogue, Oxford, 1989, vol. V, p. 56, n. 1 (cited with no. L222)
Condition
Executed on laid paper, the sheet is not laid down but is at present attached to the mount at several points along the upper edge. The sheet is slightly undulating and there are scattered spots of foxing (visible in the catalogue illustration). There are some faint wrinkles in the sheet at the extreme left edge, and there are a number of drop marks on the verso, which are faintly visible on the recto in the wash in the lower right quadrant. This work is in good overall condition.
Held in a simple gilt frame, with the edges of the sheet visible in the present 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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
In 1833 Delacroix received a commission from his friend Adolphe Thiers to decorate the Salon du Roi of the Palais-Bourbon (now Assemblée Nationale), Paris, and subsequently was commissioned in 1838 to decorate the huge ceiling of the library of the Chambre des Députés in the same building. The ceiling comprised five cupolas, each with four pendentives and a lunette at each end; the broad programme for the decoration seems to have been to illustrate the themes of Science, Philosophy, Law, Theology, and Poetry.
The present work, depicting Chiron the Centaur instructing Achilles in the art of hunting, is a study for one of the three-metre long pendentives supporting the cupola dedicated to Poetry. Lee Johnson identifies this pendentive as being particularly outstanding for its beauty and design, remarking that Delacroix attached a special value to the composition.
The inscription on the verso suggests that Delacroix was at the time working in another artist's studio on the rue de la Paix, perhaps that of Émile César Victor Perrin.
The present work, depicting Chiron the Centaur instructing Achilles in the art of hunting, is a study for one of the three-metre long pendentives supporting the cupola dedicated to Poetry. Lee Johnson identifies this pendentive as being particularly outstanding for its beauty and design, remarking that Delacroix attached a special value to the composition.
The inscription on the verso suggests that Delacroix was at the time working in another artist's studio on the rue de la Paix, perhaps that of Émile César Victor Perrin.