- 130
French, circa 1787
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Description
French, circa 1787
From the circle of Jean Antoine Houdon (1741-1828)
a white marble bust of geoffroy chalut de verin
facing almost full front, his long curly hair held back in a catogan,
the drapery carved in deep folds (2)
Height 98cm., 39in.; on a wooden plinth
Provenance:
Collection of Chalut de Verin, Lyon
thence by descent
Geoffroy Chalut de Verin, son of a merchant from Lyons, became General Treasurer of the Dauphine Marie-Josephe of Saxony in 1744 and assay inspector in 1754. He remained Fermier General from 1754-1787, Archive documents attest that he and his wife Elisabeth, a femme de Chambre of the Dauphine, lived from 1765 until 1791 in a private mansion, the Hotel Crozat (now the Ritz hotel) in the Place Vendome, which they purchased in 1787. He seems to have been linked closely with the royal family, indeed he was Lecteur de la Chambre du Roi et Maitre d'Hotel de la Reine and this position probably led to his being guillotined in 1791. An important collection of art works, bronzes, paintings and porcelain decorated their house, which was confiscated during the Revolution but returned to their daughter in 1799. This collection, including the portrait of Chalut de Verin executed shortly before the Revolution, has been preserved by the family to the present day.
Traditionally, this bust has always been considered as a work by Barthlememy Blaise (1738-1819). Stylistically however, the treatment of the drapery is more reminiscent of Jean-Antoine Houdon and his contemporary Philippe Laurent Roland (1746-1816). While the drapery seems closer to Houdon's portraits of Louis XVI and Francois Claude Marquis de Bouille executed in 1790 and about 1785 respectively, Arnason (op.cit.) figs.159 & 150; the treatment of the eyes and the wig is closer to Roland who is well known for his official portrait sculpture during the last ten years of the reign of Louis XVI. Conversely, Roland's revolutionary beliefs might preclude his executing an official portrait of so prominent a member of the royal household.
Related literature:
H.H. Arnason, The Sculptures of Houdon, Phaidon Press, London, 1975
From the circle of Jean Antoine Houdon (1741-1828)
a white marble bust of geoffroy chalut de verin
facing almost full front, his long curly hair held back in a catogan,
the drapery carved in deep folds (2)
Height 98cm., 39in.; on a wooden plinth
Provenance:
Collection of Chalut de Verin, Lyon
thence by descent
Geoffroy Chalut de Verin, son of a merchant from Lyons, became General Treasurer of the Dauphine Marie-Josephe of Saxony in 1744 and assay inspector in 1754. He remained Fermier General from 1754-1787, Archive documents attest that he and his wife Elisabeth, a femme de Chambre of the Dauphine, lived from 1765 until 1791 in a private mansion, the Hotel Crozat (now the Ritz hotel) in the Place Vendome, which they purchased in 1787. He seems to have been linked closely with the royal family, indeed he was Lecteur de la Chambre du Roi et Maitre d'Hotel de la Reine and this position probably led to his being guillotined in 1791. An important collection of art works, bronzes, paintings and porcelain decorated their house, which was confiscated during the Revolution but returned to their daughter in 1799. This collection, including the portrait of Chalut de Verin executed shortly before the Revolution, has been preserved by the family to the present day.
Traditionally, this bust has always been considered as a work by Barthlememy Blaise (1738-1819). Stylistically however, the treatment of the drapery is more reminiscent of Jean-Antoine Houdon and his contemporary Philippe Laurent Roland (1746-1816). While the drapery seems closer to Houdon's portraits of Louis XVI and Francois Claude Marquis de Bouille executed in 1790 and about 1785 respectively, Arnason (op.cit.) figs.159 & 150; the treatment of the eyes and the wig is closer to Roland who is well known for his official portrait sculpture during the last ten years of the reign of Louis XVI. Conversely, Roland's revolutionary beliefs might preclude his executing an official portrait of so prominent a member of the royal household.
Related literature:
H.H. Arnason, The Sculptures of Houdon, Phaidon Press, London, 1975