Lot 364
  • 364

Pierre-Athanase Chauvin

Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 GBP
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Description

  • Pierre-Athanase Chauvin
  • A view of the Abbey of Grottaferrata
  • oil on canvas

Provenance

Possibly acquired from the artist in Rome by Friederike Brun (1775-1835) or her daughter;
With Friederike's grandson, Major-General Chamberlain Adalbert Brun, Copenhagen, by 1900;
Thence by descent.

Condition

The canvas is unlined. The paint surface is clean, secure and in good condition. A fine craquelure runs across parts of the painting, particularly in the lower stretch. There is a small indent measuring approximately 1cm. to the tree lower left but no major damages to the work are apparent. The paint surface is clean, secure and in good condition. Inspection under UV light reveals scattered retouchings to the foreground and left hand trees, and fewer scattered spot retouchings to the sky. Offered in a gilt wood frame with plaster mouldings in good condition, if a little rubbed.
"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 variant, with small differences, of Chauvin's prime version in the Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen, which is signed and dated 1811.1  Thorvaldsen visited the ateliers of several expatriate painters in Rome, including that of Chauvin, with Eckersberg, as the latter recalled, singling Chauvin out for special praise: "Récemment, je suis allé avec M. Thorw[aldsen] visiter les ateliers de MM. Chauvin, Verstappen, Terlinck et Ro[h]den qui sont des maitres distingués, cependant je désirerais presque donner la prééminence à M. Chauvin, son coloris, ses lointains, bref tout est si bien venu; je n'ai encore jamais vu semblable chose".2

Grottaferrata is in the Alban hills near Frascati, south east of Rome, and on horseback it is within easy reach of Rome. The Basiline Abbey follows the Graeco-Catholic rite, and was founded in 1004 by Saint Nilo.  Its fortifications, easily visible here were erected at the behest of Cardinal Giulio della Rovere from 1473 onwards.

It is possible that this painting was bought directly from the artist by the Danish writer, salonist and notoriously sociable Friederike Brun during her travels to Rome, where Chauvin settled permanently after 1804. Figure 1 shows the painting hanging in her grandson, Major-General, Chamberlain Adalbert Brun's apartment in Copenhagen c. 1900, opposite a portrait of Friederike with her daughter Charlotte by Erik Pauelsen.

1.  Inv. B89.
2.  See V. Pomarède, in A. Ottani Cavina, Paysages d'Italie.  Les peintres du plein air (1780-1830), exhibition catalogue, Paris 2001, p. 150.