Jacques-Charles Oudry

Spaniel stopped in front of two grey partridges: The photography of the catalogue is slightly lighter than the picture shows. The painting is in a very nice condition. There is a beautiful texture under a slightly durty varnish that needs to be cleaned. The painting comes in a polylobed frame but the picture is much more fret under the frame. The painting has been relined very properly there are about fifty years, and the texture is not settled. We do not notice any old restoration to the naked eye. Under UV lamp: The canvas appears under a uniform green varnish. We notice some very slight retouchings in the sky above the corn. Some few retouchings in the neck of the partridge in the lower right. A few retouchings on the tree trunk at the bottom center and a few points of retouchings in the thicket right above the dog's paw. Some retouchings in the tree trunk above the dog's back. Very well preserved. Barbet dog attacking a swan: The photography of the catalogue is slightly lighter than the picture shows. The painting is in a very nice condition. There is a beautiful texture under a slightly durty varnish that needs to be cleaned. The painting comes in a polylobed frame but the picture is much more fret under the frame. The painting has been relined very properly there are about fifty years, and the texture is not settled. There is a very small vertical scratch (1 cm) on the upper part, on the left, near the frame (visible on the image). Under UV lamp: The canvas appears under a uniform green varnish. There is anhorizontal restoration about 60 cm long at 10 cm from the upper edge of the frame (due to friction of the stretcher). We note some points of restorations on the left side of the composition near the dog's paw and in the reeds above the dog. Very well preserved.
"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."

Jacques-Charles Oudry était le fils du célèbre peintre animalier et de natures mortes, Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755). Il apprit la peinture auprès de son père et fut également l'élève de Nicolas de Largillierre (1656-1746). Reçu à l'Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture en 1748, il figura au Salon de Paris jusqu'en 1761. Il s'installa quelques temps à Bruxelles où il se mit au service du prince Charles de Lorraine. Son style et le choix des sujets traités dans sa peinture s'inspirent directement de l'œuvre de son père, comme en témoignent ces deux scènes de chasse.

Nous pouvons rapprocher la première toile avec le chien barbet d'un autre tableau de l'artiste, daté 1753, et vendu à Paris, chez Marc-Arthur Kohn, 18 décembre 1995, lot 56. Par ailleurs, on retrouve également un cygne dans une attitude très comparable dans une œuvre de Jacques-Charles Oudry, datée 1740, et conservée à l'Ambassade de Suède à Paris.