- 91
Gabriel de Saint-Aubin
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Gabriel de Saint-Aubin
- The triumph of Bacchus
- Pen and brown ink over black chalk within pen and brown ink framing lines
- 7 x 13 7/8 inches
Provenance
With Talabardon & Gautier, Paris;
from whom acquired by the present owner
from whom acquired by the present owner
Condition
Laid down. Tip of upper right corner is missing. Overall pen and ink is strong and sheet relatively free from staining. Sold in a 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.
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.
Catalogue Note
This sheet, quite different in execution to lot 84, still highlights Saint-Aubin's ability to capture and convey movement in his drawings. In this interpretation of the popular Rococo subject of the Triumph of Bacchus, detail, more than atmosphere, becomes the main focus. The sense of motion here is one of frenetic energy that propels the chariot and figures surrounding it. The technique of applying rapidly executed parallel strokes to give definition to certain figures and to set them off from the background can also be seen in Saint-Aubin's Le Grand Café d'Alexandre, now in the Musée Carnavalet.1 The café scene shares the same hyperactivity of medium, through which, without creating chaos, Saint Aubin demonstrates his ability to capture and observe at great speed. Dated 1759, the café scene, provides the basis for an approximate dating of the present drawing to the late 1750s.
In both these drawings by Saint-Aubin, we see the clear influence of the artist's illustrious predecessor, Claude Gillot.
1 Gabriel de Saint Aubin 1724-1780, exhib. cat., New York, The Frick Collection, 2008, p. 184, no. 38, reproduced, p. 185