Théodore Géricault

Alexandre Corréard, Paris (by 1852);
M. Leclère Fils, Paris (by 1867);
Marmontel collection,
sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 11-14 May 1868, lot 163;
M. Rouher, Paris (Premier Ministre under Emperor Napoleon III),
by descent to his son the Marquis Samuel Velles de la Valette (son of the above),
by inheritance to Private Collection, France;
sale, London, Sotheby's, 30 March 1977, lot 109;
Private Collection, London (by June 1977),
purchased from the above by the late owner

New York, Jan Krugier Gallery; Geneva, Galerie Jan Krugier, Victor Hugo and The Romantic Vision, Drawings and Watercolors, 1990-91, no. 53, reproduced

C. Clément, 'Catalogue de l'oeuvre de Géricault (2ème et dernier article)', Gazette des Beaux-Arts, October 1867, no.126C;
C. Clément, Géricault, Etude biographique et critique et catalogue raisonné, Paris 1868 & 1879, pp. 357-358, no.139C (dessins);
L. Eitner, Géricault's Raft of the Medusa, London, 1972, p. 173, no. 112 (pl. 113, the 1821 lithograph by Champion; pl. 110, the 1859 wood engraving by Pauquet);
J. Barran, 'Théodore Géricault, illustrations to Alexandre Corréard’s Le Naufrage de la Méduse', in The Burlington Magazine, vol. CXIX, no. 889, April 1977, pp. 309-311;
Galerie Jan Krugier (ed.), Dix Ans d'activité, Geneva, 1983, no. 7, reproduced;
G. Bazin, Théodore Géricault, Etude critique, Documents et Catalogue Raisonné, vol. VI, 1994, Paris, pp. 77-89, 182, no. 2119, reproduced;
Linie, Licht und Schatten, Meisterzeichnungen und Skulpturen der Sammlung Jan und Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, exh. cat., Berlin, 1999, p. 402, reproduced;
The Timeless Eye. Master Drawings from the Jan and Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski Collection, exh. cat., Berlin, 1999, p. 402, reproduced
A. Alhadeff, The Raft of the Medusa. Géricault, Art, and Race, Munich & London, 2002, pp. 88-94, fig. 40, reproduced

The sheet has been laid down onto the backboard. There are some scattered faint spots of staining visible notably in the sky in the upper left quadrant, and a faint drop mark near the centre of the lower edge. This work is otherwise in good condition, the medium strong, fresh and well preserved. Presented framed and glazed, the edges of the sheet visible and not covered by the mat, under glass. For any questions regarding this lot please contact Richard Lowkes in the 19th Century European Paintings department on 020 7293 5477.
"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."

The wreck of the Medusa, which ran aground off the African coast on 2 July 1816 thanks to the inept navigation of her captain, was one of the great national scandals of its time.  The ordeal, on a makeshift raft, of those who tried to evacuate the ship provided Géricault with the subject of his most famous painting of all, The Raft of the Medusa (Paris, Louvre).  The following year two of the small number of survivors, the ship's surgeon Henri Savigny and the geographer Alexandre Corréard published their own account of the incident, and this book, Naufrage de la frégate la Méduse, was immensely popular;  it went through five editions by 1821 and was also published with success in English, German, Dutch and Italian translations.  In the later editions, the text was revised to increased still further the political message of the work.

The present drawing is the second of four watercolours executed by Géricault circa 1820, as designs for illustrations to the fourth edition of Corréard and Savigny's book.  The drawings were reproduced in lithographs by Champion, and also subsequently served as the basis for wood engravings by Pauquet, published in Le Magasin Pittoresque (December 1859, vol. XXVII).

The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Lorenz Eitner, in a letter dated 3 June 1977.