Pierre-Antoine Demachy

Anonymous sale, Paris, Christophe Joron-Derem, 29 June 2005, lot 22;
With Colnaghi's, London;
Acquired from the above by the present owner.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. These paintings have been recently restored and should be hung as is. The canvases have both been lined. The surfaces are even but not badly compromised by the linings. Under ultraviolet light retouches are visible which almost entirely deal with some of the cracking which was presumably thought to be slightly too noticeable. Retouches have been applied mainly in the sky of both pictures to soften the visual effects of the cracks. There is no abrasion or diminishment of the fine technique employed in both pictures.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

These delicate and refined paintings depict what appears to be the same grand country villa, first at a distance in profile and then closer up in cross-section.  Despite the small architectural differences between the two structures, the similarities remain striking.  Although Palladian in design, the many ornate sculptures and elaborate cornices and moldings that Demachy has added give the structure an almost fantastical, fairy-tale air. It is unclear whether these paintings were intended as actual studies for a building project or as architectural capricci, but the promenading figures and the bits of fallen stone, which dot the landscape in the cross-section image, seem to suggest the latter.