Louis-Léopold Boilly La Bassée 1761 - 1845 Paris

Commissioned by M. de Calvet de Lapalun directly from the artist in 1791 for 320frs;
Purchased from the above estate in Marseille in 1846 by
Mr. Chaix d'Est-Ange;
Mr. E Du Bourg, comte de Bozas;
By whom sold, Paris, Galerie Charpentier, December 11, 1934, lot 9 (along with its pendant, lot 10,  L'Amant Constant), to Seymour-Weller.

H. Harrisse, Louis Boilly Peintre, Dessinateur et Lithographe (1761-1845), Paris 1898, p. 96, no. 143;
Baron Du Teil, La collection Chaix d'Est-Ange, in "The Arts", Paris, July 1907, no. 67, p. 22;
P. Marmottan, Le peintre Louis Boilly, Paris 1924, no. 144;
J.S. Hallam, The Genre Work of Louis Léopold Boilly, Ph.D dissertation, University of Washington, 1979, p. 28;
M. Delafond, Louis Boilly 1761-1845, catalogue of the exhibition, Paris 1984, p. 26-27, under cat. no. 3;
A. Scottez-De Wanbrechies and S. Laveissiere, Boilly, Un Grand Peintre Français de la Révolution à la Restauration, catalogue of the exhibition, Lille 1988, pp. 28-29, mentioned under cat. no. 6.

An old inscription on the reverse states, "au lieu des vers on voulait que le peintre mit simplement/ L'hymen ote à l'amour son bandeau. Danger/ Des mariages d'amourette. Inventé par M. de/ Calvet La Palun peint par Louis Boilly 1791/ ou leçon d'un mere a sa fille [sic]".  Between the years 1789 and 1791 Calvet de Lapalun commissioned eight painting from Boilly.  Four of these paintings are in the Musée Sandelin, Saint-Omer.

The present painting appears to be the prime version of a composition treated by Boilly at least two other times.  One is in a private collection and the other is in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (see Boilly, Un Grand Peintre Français de la Révolution à la Restauration, catalogue of the exhibition, Lille 1988, pp. 28-29, cat. no. 6).  The Arts Décoratif picture is en grisaille and forms part of a set of three grisailles, which include Le Cadeau Délicat and On La Tire Aujour'hui. 

We are grateful to Mr. Etienne Bréton who has provided this catalogue information.  He and Pascal Zuber will be including the present painting in their forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the works by Louis Léopold Boilly. 

The painting is in a period French 18th Century frame with the frame makers stamp on the reverse: Infroit.