- 74
Jehan Georges Vibert
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 USD
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Description
- Jehan Georges Vibert
- Une cause celebre (The Trial of Pierrot)
- signed J.G. Vibert (lower left)
- pen and black ink, black wash, and gouache on paper
- 15 1/2 by 24 3/4 in.
- 39.4 by 62.9 cm
Condition
Paper is laid down on another sheet of paper, which is affixed to backboard at all edges with tape. Surface of sheet has darkened overtime, and scattered spots of foxing visible throughout composition.
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.
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
In this expressive and imaginative drawing, Vibert uses Commedia dell’arte characters to illustrate a popular story from his self-authored La Comédie en Peinture (1902) about an elderly husband who brings his young wife to court for her philandering behavior. The young lovers—a coy Columbine and a remorseful Pierrot—appear at the center of the composition. At right, in front of three drunken soldiers, sits the jealous, elderly husband. Whispering slander into his ear is Harlequin, Pierrot’s masked nemesis. At left is the theatrical defense lawyer in the guise of Pulchinelle.
This is possibly a preparatory drawing for two other versions of this composition: a sumptuous oil painting (Private Collection) and a watercolor and gouache (Art Institute of Chicago) that was possibly shown at the 1883 exhibition of the Society of French Watercolorists.