Jean-Baptiste-André Gautier d'Agoty

Anonymous sale, Monaco, Christie's, 3 July 1993, lot 56;
There purchased by the present collector.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting has been lined and restored fairly recently. The paint layer is clean but the varnish could be reexamined and perhaps adjusted. The lining is supporting the surface well and although cracking is visible, this is not the kind of cracking that will be changed or improved with another lining. Some of these cracks have received retouches and there are also restorations attending to some slight thinness in a very few other areas, for instance the ground to the right of the standing male figure. In the sky between this figure and the marble statue on the far right there is a vertical original canvas join which has received some restorations. On the extreme right edge there is a more significant non-original addition extending from top to bottom; at its widest extension it is more than an inch wide. On the left edge a similar addition has been made, the top and bottom edges have been extended yet to a lesser degree. The retouching is not necessarily as attentive to some of the broken glazes in the pavilion.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Le contrat de marriage ou l'attente nerveuse is an especially rare picture in the artist's oeuvre, as Gautier D'Agoty was known primarily for his portraits rather than genre scenes like the one illustrated here.  Gautier D'Agoty, one of five sons, distinguished himself as an artist at an early age and developed his career in Paris.  His talent was quickly recognized by Marie-Antoinette, who commissioned several portraits, some of which remain at the Musée de Versailles.

The present picture depicts the scene of an impending contract of marriage, as the bride-to-be anxiously awaits, quietly eavesdropping on her elders who debate her future.  Lingering further in the dark, out of the moonlit shadows, is her lover.  This scene exemplifies the language of the Rococo, illustrating the flirtatious and romantic nature of this style characteristic in the art of eighteenth century France.  Fragonard's series of paintings The Progress of Love at the Frick Collection share the same themes and subject matter of amorous love that often pervaded the Rococo, although no evidence indicates that the two artists ever met or collaborated.

Stylistic and compositional similarities in the present picture relate to other signed works by the artist.  The appearance of the architectural structure and its interior here recalls another signed picture by the artist in the Musée Nissim de Camondo.  Gautier D'Agoty exhibited his aptitude for portraits in the depiction of the four figures, which resemble a number of the artist's works in the Musée de Versailles.  In this work, the artist aptly combined his talent in portraiture to a larger setting of a genre scene, expanding his compositional format to create an exception to his typical subject matter.