Lot 75
  • 75

Hubert Robert Paris 1733 - 1808

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Hubert Robert
  • Italian Landscape with a Peasant Woman standing by a Statue
  • Inscribed on the back, in black paint, probably by the artist (partially legible) Peint par Robert/ dans la prison/ de St. Lazare Fev. 1794(?)
  • oil on cream glazed earthenware octagonal plate

Literature

J. Nicolay, "Les assiettes de prison de Hubert Robert", Connaissance des Arts, April 1958, p. 36-41: related work with thirteen of these plates; a few others including ours, have appeared since then.
A. Wintermute, Claude to Corot, The Development of Landscape Painting in France, Colnaghi, New York, November 1 to December 15 1990, p.217, no 46: for other examples of painted plates by Robert.

Catalogue Note

In 1793, Hubert Robert was imprisoned by the Revolutionary authorities for failing to renew his citizen's card. He was released from Saint-Lazare prison in the summer of 1794 saved only by the fall of Robespierre. Deprived of a ready supply of materials on which to paint, Robert used the prison's earthenware plates from which he ate as substitutes. On some of these he painted familiar themes of earlier works, whilst on others he depicted scenes from prison life (see David et la Revolution, exhibition catalogue, Valence, 1989, p.92-97).

According to the artist's obituary written by his friend Etienne Vigée, Robert made many drawings and paintings during his imprisonment and gave his decorated plates to prison guards who would sell them for a Louis d'or (24 francs).

Other examples of plates by Robert were sold at auction: one at Sotheby's New York, January 11, 1990, lot 137; and another at Christie's, London, July 9, 1999, lot 193.