Claude Vignon

C. P. Rosenberg, 'Some Drawings by Claude Vignon', in Master Drawings, vol. IV, 1966, pp. 291, 293, note 23, reproduit en 28b;
H.T. Goldfarb, From Fontainebleau to the Louvre: French Drawings from the Seventeenth Century, cat. d'exp., Cleveland, Cambridge, Mass. et Ottawa 1989-90, pp. 136-7, note 7;
P.P. Bassani, Claude Vignon 1593-1670, cat. d'exp., Tours, Arras et Toulouse 1993-94, pp. 447-8, cat. no. 454, reproduit

The following condition report has been provided by Caroline Corrigan, 17-25 rue Charles Graindorge, 93170 Bagnolet, Tel: 33 (0)1 43 63 25 44, Email : caroline.corrigan@wanadoo.fr, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. Generally in good condition. A few very tiny holes, in the right sleeve of the figure, on the horizon to the right, and under the righ knee. A small restored loss to the lower left, to the left of the column. A few retouches of white gouache to mask faults in the paper to the left of Cleopatra's head, below her right elbow and in the folds of her dress.
"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."

Cléopâtre, reine d'Egypte, se présente face à nous avec son sceptre enroulé du serpent qui mit fin à ses jours. Dans le fond de la composition à droite apparaît à la craie noire Cléopâtre auprès de ses suivantes dont l'une, Iras, a déjà succombé à la morsure du serpent et gît morte à ses pieds, tandis qu'une autre, Charmion, pose un diadème sur la tête de la reine. Sur la gauche, les soldats romains envoyés par Octave accentuent encore le caractère dramatique de l'œuvre.

Ce dessin serait une étude pour une illustration jamais réalisée du livre de Pierre Le Moyne, La galerie des femmes fortes, publié à Paris en 1647. L'ouvrage, écrit en vers et en prose, célèbre les femmes remarquables de l'histoire et fut dédié à Anne d'Autriche, « femme forte par excellence ». Vignon avait été appelé pour une commande de vingt illustrations de chacune des vingt  héroïnes qui, selon Mariette, furent considérées comme un « grand succès ».¹  Six dessins de Vignon dont Cléopâtre semblent appartenir à la série, tous orientés dans le même sens que les gravures (fig. 1), aux dimensions très similaires et proches également dans l'usage que le maître fait de la sanguine et pierre noire.²  Comme on le voit ici, les compositions consistent en une figure féminine centrale à l'apparence d'une statue, flanquée dans le fond par des scènes importantes de la vie du sujet.

Les dessins de Vignon se font rares aujourd'hui et cette œuvre est un bel exemple du style graphique à la fois vif et expressif qui fit la renommée du maître.

1. Bassani, op. cit., p. 437 (Sur la série des femmes fortes, voir aussi l'article de S. Folds McCullagh, in In Arte Venustas: Studies on Drawings in Honour of Teréz Gerszi : Presented on Her Eightieth Birthday, Budapest, Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, 2007, pp. 142-7).
2. Ibid., pp. 438-48. Les dessins sont à Rugby, Dublin, Londres, Paris, Cambridge, Massachusetts, et Chicago.



CLEOPATRA


Red and black chalk, the corners cut;
bears old attribution, lower left: Cl.Vignon f.


Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, stands before us bearing her sceptre, wound with the asp that took her life.  In the background to the right, in black chalk, we see the scene of her death, with her attendants near her.  One, Iras, has also succumbed to the snake-bite and lies dying at her feet while the other, Charmion, places Cleopatra's diadem upon her head.  To the left, the Roman soldiers sent by Octavian hasten to the scene.

The drawing is thought to be a study for an unexecuted illustration in Pierre Le Moyne's La Galerie des Femmes Fortes, published in Paris in 1647.  The book, written in verse and prose, celebrated exemplary women from history and was dedicated to Anne of Austria, ''femme forte par excellence''. Vignon was commissioned to provide twenty illustrations, for each of the twenty heroines, which, according to Mariette, were hailed as a ''grand succès''.¹  Including the present work, six drawings by Vignon can be linked with the series, all in the same direction as the prints (fig. 1), and very similar in their dimensions and in their use of red and black chalk.²  Just as we see here, the compositions consist of a central, statuesque figure of a woman, flanked in the background on both sides by scenes from her life.

Vignon's drawings very rarely come to the market and this is a particularly lovely example of the expressive and lively graphic style at which the artist excelled.

1. Bassani, op. cit., p. 437 (On the Strong Women series, see also S. Folds McCullagh's article, in In Arte Venustas: Studies on Drawings in Honour of Teréz Gerszi : Presented on Her Eightieth Birthday, Budapest, Museum of Fine Arts, 2007, pp. 142-7).
2. Ibid., pp. 438-48. The drawings are in Rugby, Dublin, London, Paris, Cambridge, Mass., and Chicago.


Fig. 1: Gilles Rousselet, Marianne, voir La galerie des femmes fortes, par le Père Le Moyne de la Compagnie de Jésus, Paris, ed. 1665, p. 86.