- 292
Anne Vallayer-Coster
Estimate
150,000 - 200,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- Anne Vallayer-Coster
- A bust of Minerva, armour, muskets, a drum, a standard, the baton of command of a Maréchal de France, a laurel wreath and the Orders of Saint-Louis and of the Saint-Esprit, all on a stone ledge
- signed and dated lower left: Mlle. Vallayer 1777
- oil on canvas
Provenance
Madame Vissitier, by 1777;
Vicomte G. Chabert;
His sale, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 5 June 1909, lot 12 (with its pendant Still life with porcelain vase, marine plants, shells, and various mineralogical specimens as lot 11);
Anonymous sale, Paris Hôtel Drouot, 9 June 1923, lot 15;
Madame Potin;
By whom sold, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 22 April 1929, lot 25 (25,000 francs);
Marcel Midy;
Anonymous sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 7 March 1941, lot 15 (22,000 francs);
Anonymous sale, Paris, Galerie Charpentier, 15 December 1959, lot 30 (1,100,000 francs);
With Wildenstein, New York;
There acquired by James Ling, Dallas, Texas in 1968;
LTV Steel Corporation, Dallas, Texas;
Mr. Rege Gold, DuBois, Pennsylvania;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 9 July 1993, lot 45 (£119,100);
There acquired by a private collector;
By whom sold ("Property of a Private Collector"), London, Christie's, 7 December 2010, lot 35 for £262,250 ($419,168).
Vicomte G. Chabert;
His sale, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 5 June 1909, lot 12 (with its pendant Still life with porcelain vase, marine plants, shells, and various mineralogical specimens as lot 11);
Anonymous sale, Paris Hôtel Drouot, 9 June 1923, lot 15;
Madame Potin;
By whom sold, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 22 April 1929, lot 25 (25,000 francs);
Marcel Midy;
Anonymous sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 7 March 1941, lot 15 (22,000 francs);
Anonymous sale, Paris, Galerie Charpentier, 15 December 1959, lot 30 (1,100,000 francs);
With Wildenstein, New York;
There acquired by James Ling, Dallas, Texas in 1968;
LTV Steel Corporation, Dallas, Texas;
Mr. Rege Gold, DuBois, Pennsylvania;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 9 July 1993, lot 45 (£119,100);
There acquired by a private collector;
By whom sold ("Property of a Private Collector"), London, Christie's, 7 December 2010, lot 35 for £262,250 ($419,168).
Exhibited
Paris, Salon, 1777, no. 101 (lent by Madame Vissitier);
Paris, Galerie Heim, Hommage à Chardin, 6 June-10 July 1959, no. 84, reproduced pl. 38;
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Women Artists, 1550-1950, 21 December 1976-13 March 1977, no. 54.
Paris, Galerie Heim, Hommage à Chardin, 6 June-10 July 1959, no. 84, reproduced pl. 38;
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Women Artists, 1550-1950, 21 December 1976-13 March 1977, no. 54.
Literature
Lettres pittoresques à l'occasion des tableaux exposés au Salon en 1777, chez Gueffier, Paris, 1777, 7th letter (collection Deloynes, no. 190, pp. 35-6);
E. Dacier, Catalogue de ventes et livrets de Salons illustrés par Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, Paris 1909-1921, IV, pp. 20-1, illustrated;
J. Seznec and Jean Adhémar, eds., Denis Diderot. Les Salons, Paris, 1967, IV, Salons de 1769, 1771, 1775, 1781, p. 201;
M. Faré, La Nature Morte en France. Son histoire et son évolution du XVIIe au XX siècle, Geneva, 1962, I, p. 222; II, reproduced pl. 426;
M. Roland Michel, Anne Vallayer Coster, Paris, 1970, pp. 187-8, no. 264;
M. and F. Faré, La Vie Silencieuse en France. La nature morte au XVIIIe siècle, Fribourg and Paris, 1976, pp. 223, 229, reproduced pl. 356;
A. Sutherland Harris and L. Nochlin, Women Artists, 1550-1950, exhibition catalogue, Los Angeles 1977, no. 54;
C. Grimm, Natures Mortes italiennes, espagnoles et francaises' 1996, p. 79, reproduced;
E. Kahng and M. Roland Michel, Anne Vallayer-Coster: Painter to the Court of Marie-Antoinette, Dallas Museum of Art, 2002, p. 203, no. 44.
E. Dacier, Catalogue de ventes et livrets de Salons illustrés par Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, Paris 1909-1921, IV, pp. 20-1, illustrated;
J. Seznec and Jean Adhémar, eds., Denis Diderot. Les Salons, Paris, 1967, IV, Salons de 1769, 1771, 1775, 1781, p. 201;
M. Faré, La Nature Morte en France. Son histoire et son évolution du XVIIe au XX siècle, Geneva, 1962, I, p. 222; II, reproduced pl. 426;
M. Roland Michel, Anne Vallayer Coster, Paris, 1970, pp. 187-8, no. 264;
M. and F. Faré, La Vie Silencieuse en France. La nature morte au XVIIIe siècle, Fribourg and Paris, 1976, pp. 223, 229, reproduced pl. 356;
A. Sutherland Harris and L. Nochlin, Women Artists, 1550-1950, exhibition catalogue, Los Angeles 1977, no. 54;
C. Grimm, Natures Mortes italiennes, espagnoles et francaises' 1996, p. 79, reproduced;
E. Kahng and M. Roland Michel, Anne Vallayer-Coster: Painter to the Court of Marie-Antoinette, Dallas Museum of Art, 2002, p. 203, no. 44.
Condition
The canvas has a firm relining, the paint surface is stable and clean, with a clear varnish. The picture appears to be in overall very good condition. Inspection under ultraviolet light shows that the varnish is rather uneven, which makes reading historic restorations difficult. There are a handful of scattered retouchings and strengthening throughout the canvas but no major restorations, save for a small restored damage in the collar of the marble bust. There may also be some more strengthenings in the dark tones of the background, possibly to mask a certain degree of wear. In apparently overall good condition.
"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."
"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
This grand and impressive still life by Anne Vallayer-Coster was exhibited at the Salon of 1777 and sketched by Gabriel de Saint-Aubin in his copy of the Salon's livret.1 At the time, it was exhibited with a pendant which remained with the painting until the 1929 sale (present location unknown, see Provenance). A rare and successful female artist, Vallayer-Coster was reçu into the Academie Royale in 1770 and exhibited at the Salon for the first time the following year. Though her oeuvre consists mostly of still lifes, she also painted a number of portraits.
1. See M. Roland Michel, under Literature, reproduced p. 66.
1. See M. Roland Michel, under Literature, reproduced p. 66.