- 3
Eugène Delacroix
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Eugène Delacroix
- Hésiode et la Muse
- with the Vente Delacroix seal on the reverse
- oil and pen and ink on paper laid on canvas
- 23.5 by 26.7cm., 9¼ by 10½in.
Provenance
Estate of the artist (sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, Vente Eugène Delacroix, 17-19 February 1864, lot 19, as Numa et Egerie)
Probably, Achille Piron (purchased at the above sale)
Normand Collection (probably acquired from the above); thence by descent to the present owner
Probably, Achille Piron (purchased at the above sale)
Normand Collection (probably acquired from the above); thence by descent to the present owner
Literature
Eugène Delacroix, Journal, I, 463
Alfred Robaut, L’œuvre complet d’Eugène Delacroix, Paris, 1885, no. 848, catalogued (with incorrect measurements 24 by 30cm.)
Eugène Delacroix, Mémorial de l’exposition organisée à l’occasion du centennaire de l’artiste, Paris, 1963, p. 282, mentioned
Lee Johnson, The Paintings of Eugène Delacroix. The Public Decorations and their Sketches. A Critical Catalogue, Oxford, 1989, vol. V, p. 57, no. L223 (with incorrect measurements 24 by 30cm.)
Alfred Robaut, L’œuvre complet d’Eugène Delacroix, Paris, 1885, no. 848, catalogued (with incorrect measurements 24 by 30cm.)
Eugène Delacroix, Mémorial de l’exposition organisée à l’occasion du centennaire de l’artiste, Paris, 1963, p. 282, mentioned
Lee Johnson, The Paintings of Eugène Delacroix. The Public Decorations and their Sketches. A Critical Catalogue, Oxford, 1989, vol. V, p. 57, no. L223 (with incorrect measurements 24 by 30cm.)
Condition
Oil on paper laid on canvas. There are just a few scattered, localised fine lines of craquelure, just visible in the catalogue illustration, one line of which (in the centre) is lifting slightly but certainly appears stable. Ultraviolet light reveals a few tiny spots of retouching, primarily in the background and the figures are virtually untouched. Overall this work is in very good condition, and is ready to hang.
The catalogue illustration is accurate, although the greens are somewhat deeper, and the blues in the sky less saturated, in reality.
Held in a decorative gilt frame.
"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."
"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
Painted circa 1838-1847, the present work is a study for the commission that Delacroix was awarded in 1833 to decorate the ceiling of the library of the Assemblée Nationale in the Palais Bourbon, Paris. One of his first large-scale public murals, Delacroix ambitiously designed twenty-two subjects to fill the forty-two metre long ceiling composed of five cupolas in a row and two-domes.
In addition to the present oil, Delacroix executed a watercolour, now in the Louvre, a pastel and two pencil drawings as preparatory sketches for the third pendentive of the first cupola in the north end of the library (fig. 1). On 31 January 1848, Delacroix described the subject in his journal as: 'Hésiode endormi. La Muse, suspendue sur ces lèvres, et sur son front, lui inspire des chants divins' (quoted in Lee Johnson, The Paintings of Eugène Delacroix, Oxford, 1989, vol. V, p. 76).
Delacroix's original solution to the selection and organisation of subject matter for the ceiling mural was to divide the paintings in the five cupolas into themes of Science, History and Philosophy, Legislation and Eloquence, Theology and Poetry. Hésiode et la muse was dedicated to poetry.
In addition to the present oil, Delacroix executed a watercolour, now in the Louvre, a pastel and two pencil drawings as preparatory sketches for the third pendentive of the first cupola in the north end of the library (fig. 1). On 31 January 1848, Delacroix described the subject in his journal as: 'Hésiode endormi. La Muse, suspendue sur ces lèvres, et sur son front, lui inspire des chants divins' (quoted in Lee Johnson, The Paintings of Eugène Delacroix, Oxford, 1989, vol. V, p. 76).
Delacroix's original solution to the selection and organisation of subject matter for the ceiling mural was to divide the paintings in the five cupolas into themes of Science, History and Philosophy, Legislation and Eloquence, Theology and Poetry. Hésiode et la muse was dedicated to poetry.