Pompeo Batoni

Commandé directement à l'artiste et resté dans la famille du modèle depuis le XVIII^ème siècle.
Commissioned directly from the artist and thence by descent in the family of the sitter since the 18^th century.

The catalogue illustration is very close to the painting. Very good overall condition. On original canvas. The paint surface looks beautiful and there is a nice uniform network of cracks. There is a vertical tear (3 cm) on the left of the face, in the background, visible to the naked eye. Another small damage (1 cm) in the forehead of the sitter. Under ultraviolet light: No visible restoration.
"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."

Pompeo Batoni est l'un des plus grands portraitistes italiens de son temps. Parti s'installer à Rome à l'âge de vingt ans, il choisit de se former seul, copiant les travaux de Raphaël et Annibale Carracci qui répondaient à sa fascination pour les éléments fondateurs de l'école romaine tels l'étude d'après nature et l'intérêt pour l'antique. Batoni s'initia peu à peu à la peinture d'histoire avant de recevoir des commandes plus importantes à partir de 1740, décorations d'églises ou scènes mythologiques pour des clients privés.

Il poursuivit sa formation en dessinant sans interruption d'après les modèles vivants accessibles dans certaines académies locales mais également d'après les statues antiques de la cour du Belvédère. La réputation grandissante de Batoni attira de plus en plus d'étrangers dans son atelier, surtout des voyageurs britanniques qui, à l'occasion du Grand Tour, commandaient leurs portraits dans des décors antiques ou de ruines et au milieu d'objets d'art. Batoni fut parallèlement nommé conservateur des collections de peintures du Pape et son domicile devint rapidement un centre intellectuel, artistique et social important. En 1769, le double portrait de Joseph II et de Léopold II d'Autriche lui permit de gagner les faveurs de la noblesse autrichienne.

Si l'on s'accorde à penser que le modèle de cet élégant portrait est le destinataire de la lettre qu'il tient dans la main gauche, il s'agirait très certainement de François de Chambrier, chambellan de Frédéric II le Grand, roi de Prusse (1740-1786), de 1764 à sa mort en 1781. Le baron de Chambrier appartenait à une grande famille noble établie à Neuchâtel, laquelle comptait un nombre considérable d'hommes distingués. Plusieurs membres de la dynastie des Chambrier ont d'ailleurs occupé ce poste important de chambellan du roi à une époque où la Prusse régnait sur le comté de Neuchâtel.

Batoni nous présente ici un chef d'œuvre dans le genre du portrait qu'il décline avec majesté, conférant à son modèle un caractère à la fois prestigieux, intellectuel, et emprunt d'une certaine décontraction. Notre tableau, daté 1771, peut être rapproché du Portrait du Prince William Henry, duc de Gloucester (1743-1805) réalisé à Rome en 1772 (Collection particulière). On retrouve cette même technique picturale extrêmement précise et minutieuse que l'artiste perfectionna au cours de son voyage à Rome. Le modèle se détache également sur un fond sombre et neutre, accentuant encore l'effet visuel de son charisme (voir E. P. Bowron et P. B. Kerber, Pompeo Batoni. Prince of Painters in Eighteenth-Century Rome, cat. d'exp., Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts, London, The National Gallery, 2007-08, p. 113, reproduit fig. 101).

Par ailleurs, Batoni accorde dans ce portrait du baron de Chambrier un soin particulier au traitement du vêtement et des dentelles. L'habit rouge vif aux riches broderies dorées que porte le personnage était tout à fait à la mode parmi les étrangers qui vivaient à Rome ou s'y rendaient pour le Grand Tour dans la seconde moitié du XVIII^ème siècle. Un autre portrait de Batoni illustre Sir Gregory Turner (1748-1805) dans le même costume typique (Manchester, City Art Gallery ; voir aussi idem, p. 70, reproduit fig. 64). 

Nous remercions le Dr. Edgar Peters Bowron de nous avoir confirmé l'attribution de ce beau portrait à Pompeo Batoni après examen direct de l'œuvre.


PORTRAIT OF BARON FRANCOIS DE CHAMBRIER (1739-1781), CHAMBERLAIN TO THE KING OF PRUSSIA

Signed, located and dated lower right
Oil on canvas

Pompeo Batoni was one of the greatest Italian portraitists of his time. Having left for Rome at the age of twenty he was largely self-taught, copying works by Raphael and Annibale Carracci to satisfy his curiosity in the founding principles of the Roman school, as well as making studies from nature and fuelling his interest in the antique. Batoni began his career painting history pieces and from 1740 he began to receive more important commissions, including religious paintings for churches and mythological subjects for private individuals.

He continued to train himself by drawing incessantly after the live models, accessible to him through local art academies, as well as after classical sculpture. Batoni's growing reputation attracted a greater number of foreign patrons to his studio, particularly British travellers passing through Rome on the Grand Tour. These noble sitters often commissioned portraits of themselves set within classical surroundings, either standing among art objects or antique statuary. Around this time Batoni was appointed curator of the papal picture collections and his home soon became an important meeting point for artists and intellectuals alike. In 1769 Batoni painted a double portrait of Joseph II and Leopold II of Austria, thus gaining favour with the Austrian nobility as well.

The sitter in this elegant portrait might be identified by the inscription on the envelope or letter he holds in his left hand: he is François de Chambrier, chamberlain of Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia (1740-1786), from 1764 to Chambrier's death in 1781. The noble family to which the Baron de Chambrier belonged originated from Neuchâtel and numerous important figures were descended from it. A number of members of the Chambrier dynasty had held the post of chamberlain to the king at a time when the comté of Neuchâtel came under the reign of Prussia.

This painting is a magnificent example of the type of portrait for which Batoni became famous. He manages to give his sitter a prestigious and intellectual air at the same time as lending him a relaxed appearance. The present painting, dated 1771, can be compared with the 'Portrait of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester', painted in Rome in 1772 and now in a private collection. Here we find the same refined and minutely detailed technique that the artist had perfected during his sojourn in Rome. The sitter likewise stands out against a sombre and neutral background, further accentuating his charismatic visual appeal (see E. P. Bowron et P. B. Kerber, Pompeo Batoni. Prince of Painters in Eighteenth-Century Rome, exh. cat., Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts, London, The National Gallery, 2007-08, p. 113, reproduced fig. 101).

Moreover, here Batoni takes particular care with the treatment of the costume and lace. The sitter's vivid red clothes with their rich golden embroidery were very much the fashion among the foreigners resident in Rome or making the Grand Tour there in the second half of the 18^th century. Another portrait, that of 'Sir Gregory Turner (1748-1805)' shows the sitter very similarly attired (Manchester, City Art Gallery ; see also idem, p. 70, reproduced fig. 64).

We are grateful to Dr. Edgar Peters Bowron for endorsing the attribution to Pompeo Batoni following first hand inspection.