Lot 6
  • 6

Gustave Le Gray (1820 - 1884)

Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 EUR
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Description

  • Gustave Le Gray
  • La Grande Vague, 1857
Tirage albuminé d'après deux négatifs au collodion. Avec la signature facsimiliée en rouge en bas à droite. Fixé sur carton d'époque.

Literature

Eugenia Parry Janis, The Photography of Gustave le Gray, cat. expo. The Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago Press, 1987, ill. pl. 72;
The Art of Photography 1839-1989, cat. expo. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1989, ill. pl. 86;
Ken Jacobson, The Lovely Sea-View. A Study of the Marine Photographs Published by Gustave Le Gray. 1856-1858, Essex, Petches Bridge, 2001, ill. p. 42;
Sylvie Aubenas, Gustave le Gray. 1820-1884, cat. expo. Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris, Gallimard, 2002, ill. p. 125, cat. 145.

Condition

Albumen print from two collodion glass negatives, with the photographer's red signature stamp at lower right, mounted on card. This print has been professionally restored. A detailed report is available upon request. The number on the reverse has been cropped when the print was taken out of the original frame for restoration. The digits visible on the print are 115 which means that the print was numbered between 11500 and 11599. Prints from the Le Gray studio were given "print numbers" from 1855 on. Between 1855 and 1860, 24000 prints have been numbered, which suggests an early printing date (1857-58) for the present photograph. A print of the Grande Vague in the Biblothèque Nationale de France in Paris is numbered 14533, the print from the Jammes collection sold in 1999 at Sotheby's in London 9872.
"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."

Catalogue Note

"Il a chez lui [Le Gray] une vue de la Méditerranée prise en face de la ville de Cette: les flots moutonnent au loin, descendent en écumant vers le spectateur, et viennent se briser comme une poussière blanche sur les rochers du rivage. Chaque vague est couronnée par une petite houppe blanche dont on pourrait, ce semble, compter les gouttes amères; sur le bord du tableau, une lame énorme, qui déferle contre un gros récif noir, est si bien lancée, si impétueuse, si bouillonnante, qu'on serait tenté de reculer pour ne pas être atteint par son élan furieux." (Henry d'Audugier, La Patrie, 25 Juillet 1858, cit. in. Sylvie Aubenas, Gustave Le Gray, Paris 2002, p. 366.)
Ce tirage a été professionellement restauré; le rapport est disponible sur demande.