Lot 27
  • 27

François-Claude Hayette

Estimate
180,000 - 250,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • François-Claude Hayette
  • Constantinople from Galata
  • signed and dated Hayette / Constantinople 1874 lower left
  • oil on canvas
  • 85.5 by 154cm., 33¾ by 60¾in.

Condition

The overall appearance of the work is good and it is clean and ready to hang. The artist's canvas has a thin strip-lining along the four tacking edges. A faint pattern of minor stable craquelure is visible under close inspection, along with faint horizontal and vertical central stretcher marks. Ultra-violet light reveals a number of signs of retouching which are relatively minor in relation to the overall size of the painting, notably a circa 26 by 10cm restoration in the sky towards the upper-left of the composition (patched on the reverse), one circa 10 by 3cm and a second smaller area in the water to the left of the Golden Horn, a very thin 'J'-shaped minor repaired tear circa 5 by 2cm in the lower left corner (patched on the reverse), very thin intermittent strokes addressing the faint stretcher marks, and some scattered small areas of strengthening in the foreground primarily in the lower centre. Presented in a decorative gilt frame.
"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

The present view from Galata looking across the Golden Horn towards Seraglio Point, the Topkapi Palace, and Haghia Sophia captures the grandeur of one of the great natural harbours of the world. Flowing into the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara beyond, the Golden Horn attracted settlers to its shores in the seventh century BC and later enabled Constantinople to become a rich and powerful port. According to legend, the Byzantines threw so many valuables into it during the Ottoman conquest that the waters glistened with gold. For hundreds of years the city's trade was conducted by ships that off-loaded their goods into warehouses lining the Golden Horn, and this brisk trade is well captured in Hayette's view. Hayette trained at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, and at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris, where his teachers included Léon Cogniet and Isidor Pils. Exhibiting in Paris and in Lyon, he also taught at one of the imperial schools in Constantinople, where he painted a number of views of the Ottoman capital.