Lot 71
  • 71

Walter Gay

Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
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Description

  • Walter Gay
  • La Chasse du Roi, Louis XV, Tapesserie, Palais de Fontainebleau
  • signed Walter Gay (lower left); titled La Chasse du Roi, Louis XV, Palais ** Fontainebleau (on an old label, verso)
  • oil on board, laid down on masonite
  • 25 1/2 by 21 1/4 inches
  • (64.8 by 54 cm)

Provenance

Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon Whitehouse, New York (acquired directly from the artist, 1923)
The Hon. and Mrs. Charles S. Whitehouse, Virginia (by descent from the above, his parents)

Literature

William Rieder, Charmed Couple: The Art and Life of Walter & Matilda Gay, New York, 2000, no. 116, illustrated

Condition

Oil on board, laid down on masonite and attached with tacks at edges. A horizontal line of separation, with corresponding cracking and paint loss, at top, likely the result of the artist adjusting the composition and adding board to the top portion of the work. The added strip of board is bowing and lifting from the support. Scattered frame abrasion along edges. Under ultraviolet light: under an old green varnish, no apparent inpainting.
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.

Catalogue Note

This work depicts a Gobelin tapestry of Louis XV hunting, after a design by Jean-Baptiste Oudry.  The painting was purchased directly from Walter Gay by the American diplomat, Sheldon Whitehouse and his wife, Mary Crocker Whitehouse.  Mrs. Whitehouse was one of the first female trustees of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It later passed to their son, the Honorable Charles S. Whitehouse, former United States Ambassador to Laos and Thailand in the 1970s, an accomplished equestrian.