Lot 346
  • 346

Emile-Jean-Horace Vernet

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Emile-Jean-Horace Vernet
  • Portrait of Colonel Auguste-Frederic-Bon-Amour, marquis de Talhouët
  • oil on canvas

Provenance

De la Grand Family;
With Rosenberg & Stiebel, Inc., New York, by 1969;
Sale, New York, Sotheby's, 23 May 1990, lot 9, where unsold.

Exhibited

Paris, Musée de l'Armée aux Invalides, 1949;
Kansas City, Missouri, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, The Taste of Napoleon, 2 October - 16 November 1969, no. 37;
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Museum of Art, Masters of the Portrait, 4 March - 29 April 1979, no. 22.

Literature

Les Beaux-Arts:  Revue de l'art ancien et moderne, vol. VI, 4th edition, Paris 1863, p. 117;
A. Dayot, Les Vernet, Paris 1898, p. 198 (according to the list of sales kept by the artist's wife, this portrait was sold in May 1818 for 3,000 francs);
C. Renaudeau, Horace Vernet (1789-1863):  Chronologie et catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint (unpub. dissertation), Université de Lille 1999, p. 158, no. 75, reproduced pl. 652.

Condition

Glue relining is firm and stable. paint surface has been a bit pressed in the relining, but detail has been generally quite well preserved and painting reads well and presents an impressive image. there is some thinness noticeable in outer edges of hair, some in the darks of costume and in sky at upper right and left, where some reworking is visible to naked eye. some old, small filled losses can be seen in cape at lower left and lower right. examination under UV shows some retouching to top of hair and to left sideburn and a bit of reinforcement to eyes, but face look good. otherwise, there are scattered small retouches here and there in costume and backgkround. In a gilt wood frame with an intricate carved design; some chips and losses to gilding.
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.

Catalogue Note

Horace Vernet was the grandson of the celebrated marine painter, Claude-Joseph Vernet (1714-1789) and the son of the equestrian painter Carle Vernet.  He received his earliest artistic training from his father and also received formal training from François-André Vincent, with whom he studied until 1810 when he won the prix de Rome.  He made his Salon debut in 1812 with The Taking of a Fortified Encampment near Glatz, which had been commissioned by King Jerome of Westphalia, the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte.  Although himself a supporter of Napoleon, Vernet also had success during the Restoration.

This portrait, painted in 1818, depicts a decorated soldier of the Napoleonic Wars, who much like Vernet, was also flourishing under the Bourbon regime.  August-Frederic-Bon-Amour, marquis de Talhouet (1788-1842) enlisted in the army in 1803 and distinguished himself in the Battle of Moskova (also known as the Battle of Borodino) during Napoleon's Russian campaign.  He received the rank of colonel in 1812 as a reward for his bravery during this battle, when Russian forces finally mounted their successful opposition to the French army.  After Napoleon's defeat, Talhouet joined the Bourbon army and became Pair de France in 1819. 

Vernet has depicted the colonel's costume in exacting and minute detail along with the medals he had earned: the Légion d'honneur, established in 1802 under Napoleon and the Décoration du Lys, established after the Restoration in 1814.  Further enriching his depiction of his sitter's accomplishments, Vernet has depicted the Battle of Moskova in the background of the portrait.  Identifiable by his costume, Talhouet is depicted on the left on a brown horse battling a Cossack soldier on a white horse.  This combination of immediacy and historical accuracy was a hallmark of Vernet's style.  He was almost universally well-regarded by his contemporaries and illustrated most of the important events and actors of this politically charged period.