Hubert Robert Paris 1733 - 1808

Garnier Heldewier Collection, sale, Paris, 10-11 June 1925, lot 172, reproduced;
Mrs. Alan L. Corey, New York and Glen Head,
purchased at the sale of her collection, New York, Sotheby Parke Bernet, 7 December 1974, lot 576

Richmond, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Three Masters of Landscape: Fragonard, Robert and Boucher, 1981, no. 23

Jean de Cayeux, 'Introduction au catalogue critique des Griffonis de Saint-Non', Bulletin de la Société de l'Histoire de l'Art français, 1963, p. 330. under no. 41;
Hubert Burda, Die Ruine in der Bildern Hubert Roberts, Munich 1967, pp. 75, 161, reproduced fig. 84

Sold in a wooden/gilded frame. There are some minor creases at the lower left, which appear to be inherent to the paper. A small hole in the upper left, made up, but with some discolouration. A small dark stain at the upper centre, above line of roof. Some small fox marks throughout, although only really noticeable in the sky. Overall, however, the condition is fine.
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The creative benefits of travelling abroad at a young age, in the company of fellow artists, is amply illustrated by the example of the time that Fragonard and Robert spent together in Italy, during the second half of the 1750s, part of which was spent travelling in the company of the indefatigable Abbé de Saint-Non.  The proximity of the two artists has, however, given rise to considerable discussions regarding attribution, as has the fact that many of the wonderful drawings that they produced in Italy have been counterproofed, copied and reproduced by numerous other hands.

In the present drawing of the Villa Madama, the real view (as recorded in other works by Robert¹) is reversed, suggesting that although no corresponding original drawing in reverse is known, the basis for this drawing may well be a counterproof.  Yet the great majority of the chalk work that we see here is clearly not taken from another sheet by counterproofing, so if there is indeed an underlying counterproof here, it is so extensively reworked that it is now more or less invisible.  Also, the Robert signature on this drawing seems extremely convincing.  The form of signature seen here, a Roberti, has been much discussed, and seems to refer to the high-spirited Robert's nickname with his fellow students:  "Annibal".  The full signature, Annibal Roberti appears on an apparently autograph red chalk drawing of this same size, also dated 1759, of a staircase of a villa², but is also found on another sheet which seems to be a copy by Ango³;  the form a Roberti is known from several drawings.

Ultimately, the judgement regarding the attribution of this drawing has to be based both on logic, and on subjective qualitative criteria, and on these grounds the most likely conclusion seems to be that this is a counterproof of a drawing by Robert, heavily reworked by the artist himself, and then signed and dated using the humorous Italianised form of his name.

A broader version of the composition is also recorded in one of the prints ("Griffonis") of Saint-Non (see Cailleux, loc. cit.).

1. These include a painting in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg, a drawing in the Albertina, Vienna, and three drawings in the Pâris collection in the Municipal Library, Besançon. See J.H. Fragonard e H. Robert a Roma, exhibition catalogue, Rome, Villa Medici 1990-91, nos. 52-3.

2. Sale George Bourgarel, Paris, 6-8 December 1921, lot 137

3. Garden Casino and Terraces of an Italian Villa, Private Collection.  See Victor Carlson, Hubert Robert, Drawings & Watercolors, exhibition catalogue, Washington, National Gallery of Art, 1978, p. 149, reproduced.