Lot 58
  • 58

Pierre Brébiette

Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Pierre Brébiette
  • Recto: thetis attended by nereids;verso: an alternative study of the composition and the interior of a cupola and a nude figure
  • Red chalk, pen and brown ink and grey wash heightened with white (slightly oxidised), on light brown paper, the lower left corner made up (recto);
    red and black chalk (verso)

Provenance

Sale, London, Christie's, 9 July 2002, lot 49, where bought by the present owner

Condition

Unframed. The drawing is window mounted. Some thinning of the paper on the right of the lower margin. The drawing has several light brown stains, particularly in the sky and the white heightening is partly oxidised. The lower left corner has a loss, made up. The condition is not perfect. The image in the catalogue is lighter and slightly stronger than the drawing, but it does clearly show the condition of the drawing.
"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

This is a study in reverse for the print of Thetis attended by Nereids (fig. 1), engraved by Brébiette in Rome in 1625,1 shortly before his return to France.  In his pioneering article on Brébiette's drawings, Jacques Thuillier points out the influence the artist's prints must have had on the young Poussin, who arrived in Rome in 1624.2  Pierre-Jean Mariette described Brébiette in his Abécédario as more of a draughtsman and engraver of his own compositions than a painter, a reputation that endured until relatively recently, but he has now also been rediscovered as a painter.  Although he engraved more than three hundred plates, Brébiette's drawings are rare, as a great number of them were lost in August 1730, when they burned with the collection of the furniture maker Charles-André Boulle. 

1. Le Blanc 102, Weigert 92
2. J. Thuillier, 'Brébiette dessinateur', Homage au dessin, Rimini 1996, p. 283, note 43, fig. 20