Jean-Baptiste Perronneau

M. de Boiville, Abbeville;
with Gimpel & Wildenstein, Paris, by whom sold in 1903 to Ernest Cronier; Ernest Cronier (1840-1905),
his estate sale, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 6-8 December 1905, lot 39,
where purchased by Duveen Brothers;
Alphonse Kann, Saint-Germain-en-Laye,
his sale, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 6-8 December 1920, lot 133;
Goldast collection,
his sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 8-9 February 1939, lot 52;
Susana Garrahan, until 1969,
when acquired by the present owner

London, Wildenstein, La Douceur de vivre: Art, Style and Decoration in XVIIIe Century France, 1983, p. 61, no number, reproduced p. 31

A. Alexandre, 'La Collection E. Cronier,' Les Arts, no. 47, November 1905, p. 14;
L. Vaillat and P. Ratouis de Limay, J.B. Perronneau (1715-1783), sa vie et son oeuvre, Paris 1909, p. 138, no. 39;
Idem., J. B. Perronneau (1715-1783), sa vie et son oeuvre (2nd, revised ed.), Paris 1923, pp. 107, 150, 193, 207 & 226;
R. Gimpel, Journal d'un collectionneur, marchand de tableaux, Paris 1963, p. 310 (entry of November 21, 1925, recording the sale by his father, Ernest Gimpel, of the pastel of Ernest Cronier on 5 June 1903) (English ed., as Diary of an Art Dealer (trans. by J. Rosenberg), New York 1966, p. 307);
N. Jeffares, Dictionary of Pastellists before 1800, London 2006, p. 405, reproduced

Please note that the pastel has not been viewed out of its frame. Overall in very good condition. Some rubbing/losses at the lower half of the sheet, mainly around the lower margin. Details on pearls and lace still very fresh and strong and colors retain their vibrancy. Sold in carved and gilded 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.
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.

The sitter, Marie Louise Catherine Françoise Colette de Villers, was born in 1728, the daughter of Jean Baptiste François de Viller, Seigneur d’Hocquincourt, de Ligny and d’Authieul, and Marie Catherine Le Boucher du Menil.  In 1747 she married Nicolas Le Boucher d’Ailly, who had been appointed ‘Conseilleur du Roi’ in 1736, and was also mayor and military commandant of the French city of Abbeville.  From the lively correspondence that Perronneau had with his friend Aignan Thomas Desfriches we learn that the artist received several commissions in Abbeville,¹ notably his invitation in 1767 to portray the wealthy manufacturer Abram van Robais, whose extraordinary and impressive pastel portrait is known in three versions, one, signed and dated 1769, in the Louvre.²

¹ Vaillat-Ratouis de Limay, op. cit., 1923, pp. 107-109

² G. Monnier, Pastels XVII^eme et XVIII^eme siècle, Paris 1972, no. 96, reproduced