Gabriel-Jacques de Saint-Aubin

Sale, New York, Christie's, 28 January 1999, lot 158

Hinge mounted in two places to the upper edge. There is an old crease to the left margin of the sheet and some minor rubbing and foxing in places. There is a minute nick to the upper left corner. The medium is generally 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.

It has been suggested that the coat worn by the officer in this drawing may be the same as the one worn by a gentleman in the centre of a drawing by Saint-Aubin in the Bibliothèque Municipale, Rouen.¹  That drawing is inscribed at the bottom 'Vitchoura,' a word defined in the Nouvelle Larousse as a 'masculine name of Slavic origin designating the fur-trimmed Polish overcoat worn by both men and women.'²  Although our officer's exotic attire corresponds with that of the central figure in The Vitchoura,such atmospheric figure studies are not uncommon in Saint-Aubin's work, and this is most probably a separate study, unrelated to the Rouen composition.

1.  Gabriel de Saint-Aubin 1724-1780, exhib.cat., New York, Frick Collection, 2008, pp. 212-213, no. 50, reproduced
2.  Ibid., p. 212; Nouvelle Larousse, Paris 1898-1901, vol. VII, p. 165