Jean-Baptiste Pillement

Private Collection, France

Unframed. Laid down on board. There is a small ink spot stain at the lower right corner and a small scribble of black chalk at the upper right. Some slight surface dirt towards the edges of the paper and some very small light spots visible in the upper part of the sheet. Otherwise condition fine.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This design is typical of the fantastical world created by Pillement in his Chinoiseries.  Drawings such as this were often made as works of art in their own right but some were also used as designs for etchings.  Two comparable sheets are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, signed and dated 1771,¹ and a drawing which replicates this composition, adding more to the landscape above, was sold, New York, Sotheby's, 28 January 1998, as part of lot 205.

1. M.L. Myers, French Architectural and Ornament Drawings of the Eighteenth Century, exhib. cat., New York, 1992, pp. 169-70, cat. no. 103