L13040

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Lot 76
  • 76

Charles-Joseph Natoire

Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
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Description

  • Charles-Joseph Natoire
  • study of the figure of aeolus, and a study of his hand
  • Red chalk, heightened with white chalk, the study of the hand in black chalk, heightened with white chalk, on buff paper;
    bears signature in pen and brown ink: Natoire

Provenance

With Slatkin Gallery, New York, Drawings, Pastels, Watercolors, 1966, fig. 12;
sale, New York, Sotheby's, 10 January 1995, lot 122;
with Galerie La Scala, Paris

Literature

S. Caviglia-Brunel, 'Des finalités du dessin chez Charles-Jopseh Natoire', Revue de l'Art, 2004, p. 42, fig. 12;
idem., Charles-Joseph Natoire, Paris 2012, p. 339, no. D.380, reproduced

Condition

Laid down. Light vertical creases towards right. Sheet lightly foxed throughout, with some larger foxing marks towards top and lower left. The chalks in good, fresh strong condition, the red chalk much redder/less brown than in catalogue illustration, and the white chalk much more evident. Sold in an attractive carved and gilded 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."

Catalogue Note

Susanna Caviglia-Brunel identified this drawing, previously thought to represent Neptune, as a preparatory study for the figure of Aeolus in a more highly finished compositional study of Juno Commanding Aeolus to unleash his winds against the fleet of Aeneas.1  She does not know of a surviving painting but notes that Natoire had painted the subject for the duc de Chevreuse.  She writes about this drawing: 'La nervosité du trait, la vivacité de l'exécution, l'aspect monumental du personnage sont autant d'éléments qui apparaissent dans la manière du maître après le milieu des années 1730.'2  She also observes that Natoire has reversed his usual technique by drawing the figure in red chalk and the study of the hand in black, but that even with this change he has kept the differentiation he habitually made between the full figure and the examination of a detail.

1.  S. Caviglia-Brunel, op. cit., 2102, p. 339, no. D.379, reproduced
2.  Ibid., p. 339