Jean-Baptiste Oudry

Private collection;
Anonymous sale, Monaco, Sotheby’s, 13 June 1982, lot 84, where acquired.

The picture is lighter and fresher in tone than the catalogue illustration would suggest. The canvas has a taught lining but the paint surface seems to be in very good overall condition with no damage or loss of paint apart from what appears to be an old well restored tear measuring approx. 12 in. running from the canvas edge upper right parallel to the knot to the inside of the branch parallel to the top of the hare’s foot. There is some minor scattered localised areas of surface dirt overall. Examination under ultraviolet confirms the aforementioned retouching and reveals a thin discoloured varnish. There are two creases in the lower right and the upper left hand corners running from edge to edge as if the canvas has been folded at those corners. There is also old retouching in the foreground and ground lower left and more recent scattered minor retouching in the background as well as scattered minor strengthening to the branches and leaves and to a very minor cosmetic extent, the animals/ There also appears to be another old well restored tear running from the canvas edge centre right to the centre most plant measuring approx. 14 in. There is a small area of old restored damage centre right again below the hare’s tail measuring approx. 2 in. in diameter. Overall the restoration has been well done and does not compromise the integrity of the image. Offered in a gilt wood and plaster frame in good overall condition.
"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."

By the time this still life was painted in 1725, Oudry had already been a member of the Académie Royale for six years. He was well established and much sought after, and enjoyed a healthy rivalry with the older François Desportes (1661-1743). In 1726 he exhibited the contents of his studio in the Grands Appartements in Versailles and was appointed as painter to the Beauvais tapestry works for which he hired François Boucher as principal designer, and became its director in 1734.
Oudry adapted the design into a horizontal painting signed and dated 1727 today in the Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, Alabama. A cluster of peaches has been added lower left.¹

1. See. H.N. Oppermam, Jean-Baptiste Oudry, New York 1977, vol. II, p. 944, cat. no. P495A, reproduced p. 1186, fig. 411.