Victor Huguet

Private collection, France

The canvas has not been lined. This picture presents well and is overall in good condition for an unlined picture of this age and size. There is a fine pattern of craquelure overall and a fine horizontal stretcher mark, however this is not very visually distracting. Ultra-violet light reveals areas of residual varnish which make the surface quite difficult to read. However, scattered retouchings are visible notably in the upper half of the composition, including a circa 16 by 8cm vertical area in the sky in the upper right quadrant (patched on the reverse); a circa 8 by 3cm. horizontal area in the sky in the upper right and some other scattered clusters of retouching. Some small spots are also visible in the riders. There is a small patch on the reverse (4 by 4cm.) corresponding to the cliff in the centre-right of the composition which does not seem to correspond to any clearly visible sign of retouching. This picture is ready to hang. Presented in a decorative gilt frame.
"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 large scale of Huguet's painting befits the monumental ravine landscape it depicts: sheer cliffs frame a deep ravine through which a wadi meanders, serving as watering place for a group of Bedouin riders crossing a vast landscape. The composition and subtle grey tonalities of the work echo those of Huguet's teacher, Eugène Fromentin. Like Fromentin, Huguet excelled in depicting horses and captured their anatomy with great skill.

Huguet, who first trained under Emile Loubon in Marseille, travelled to Egypt in 1852 at the age of just seventeen. A year later he accompanied the marine painter Durand-Brager to Crimea in the lead-up to the siege of Sebastopol. But it was the landscapes of Algeria and Egypt that left the greatest impression, and which form the backdrop to his best-known works. He exhibited at the Salons of Marseille and Paris from 1859, and at the Salon des peintres orientalistes français from the year it was founded in 1893.