Jacques Vigoureux Duplessis active 1700-1730

With Galerie Cailleux, Paris, by 1939 (as by Vernasal)

Baron and Baronne Gourgaud

Sold, Paris, Tajan, April 5, 2001, lot 25

Canvas relined. There is lovely retention of detail and coloration. U.V. reveals retouches here and there in the figures and in their costumes and in the background and in the architecture. These have all been applied well and the painting may be hung as is. In a carved and gilt wood 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.

The attribution for this painting to Vigoureaux Duplessis has been endorsed by Dr. Martin Eidelberg, who will also include the painting in a forthcoming work on the artist.  The attribution to Duplessis is based upon stylistic similarities with an early work signed and dated in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, as well as with a pair of three-part screens, signed and dated 1730, which were formerly in the collection of Victor Rothschild, London.  (See M. Eidelberg, "A Chinoiserie by Jacques Vigoureux Duplessis," in The Journal of the Walters Art Gallery, 1977, vol. XXXV, pp. 62, 65, figs., 1 and 5.)