Lot 143
  • 143

Firmin Massot

Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Firmin Massot
  • portrait of a lady, said to be Madame Masbou (1768-1853), seated in an interior, wearing a brown velvet dress and a headdress, a landscape seen through a window beyond
  • oil on canvas

Condition

The canvas seems to be unlined but is fairly rigid. The painting has been recently cleaned and restored. Inspection under UV light reveals heavy and extensive retouching out of the old craquelure pattern throughout and particularly in the areas of the dress and blue table cloth. The restoration is well carried out and the painting needs no further work. Offered in an empire style frame with palmette mouldings.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Firmin Massot was the foremost society portrait painter of his day in Switzerland . Along with his more famous compatriots, the sporting painter Jacques-Laurent Agasse (1767-1849) and the landscape painter Adam Wofgang Töpffer (1766-1847), he was one of the major figures of the Geneva School. As director of the Academy and a leading member of the Society of Arts he remained mostly in Geneva but also travelled to Italy and England. However, it was in France where he received his most prestigious commission in 1812, the Portrait of the Empress Josephine.
The present sitter is traditionally said to be Madame Mabou (1768-1853), née Julie Garrigues. She is depicted wearing an elaborate turban beside a table covered in objects which point to her intellect and taste. In 1790 she married Jean-Louis Masbou, with whom she had three sons who all died in infancy. His portrait, also by Masbou but not a pendant to the present lot, can be found in the Musée d'art et d'histoire, Geneva (inv. no. 1957-9). That portrait dates from circa 1815-1820 and it seems likely that the present work was painted at around the same time.
The attribution to Massot has previously been endorsed by Dr. Valérie Louzier-Gentaz who is writing a catalogue raisonné on the artist.