- 55
Jean-Michel Picart
Estimate
500,000 - 700,000 USD
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Description
- Jean-Michel Picart
- a still life of a basket of flowers and a mound of fruit on a sculpted stone table, partly covered with a blue velvet, gold-and-silver-fringed cloth with drapery and a stone column in the background
- oil on canvas
Provenance
Possibly identical with a painting described by Guiffrey as in the inventory of King Louis XIV;
With J. Kugel, Paris, 1971 (advertised in Revue du Louvre, no. 3);
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 7 July 2000, lot 45 for £410,750, where acquired by the present owner.
With J. Kugel, Paris, 1971 (advertised in Revue du Louvre, no. 3);
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 7 July 2000, lot 45 for £410,750, where acquired by the present owner.
Literature
M. Faré, Le Grand Siècle de la Nature Morte en France. Le XVIIe Siècle, Fribourg 1974, p. 97, reproduced (as by J.-M. Picart).
Condition
The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
This painting has been recently restored and should be hung as is. As one would expect from a large picture of this period, there are a few damages yet there is no visible abrasion to the paint layer and there is a very lush quality to the picture as a result. The painting has been lined. The lining is quite thick but the texture is still quite pronounced, for instance in the fringe of the table top.
Retouches are visible under ultraviolet light addressing a few isolated losses in the left background, in the lower portion of the picture and in the upper left. There are a few other isolated spots of restoration but there are very few retouches in the still life itself and a very limited amount in the remainder of the picture. The blue of the table cloth is still a very strong color and overall the condition appears to be good.
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
Picart's still lifes were widely collected during the second half of the seventeenth century and at least seven of his paintings hung at Versailles and another eight at the Château de Marly. With this extraordinary level of royal patronage in mind it is none too surprising that, in his 1666-8 treatise Entretiens sur les vies et sur les ouvrages des plus excellents peintres..., André Félibien places Picart's name amongst those of the greatest ancient and modern painters.