Claude Gillot

Alfred Beurdeley (L.421);
Dr. Sachau, Leipzig;
Dr. Ludwig Burchard, London;
sale, London, Sotheby's, 11 July 2001, lot 181

K.T. Parker and J. Mathey, Antoine Watteau, Catalogue complet de son oeuvre dessiné, Paris 1957, vol. I, no. 112, reproduced (as Watteau);
Sanguines, exhib. cat., Paris, Galerie Cailleux, 1978, p. 41, in note to no. 15;
Martin Eidelberg, 'Watteau in the atelier of Gillot', in the acts of the symposium Antoine Watteau...le peintre, son temps et sa légende (1984), Paris-Geneva 1987, pp. 46-7, fig. 4;
Margaret Morgan Grasselli, The Drawings of Antoine Watteau, stylistic development and problems of chronology, unpublished PhD dissertation, Harvard University, 1987, vol. I, p. 35, note 26; p. 46;
Pierre Rosenberg and Louis-Antoine Prat, Antoine Watteau, Catalogue raisonné des dessins, Milan 1996, vol. III, p. 1213, no. R234, reproduced

Hinged to the mount at the upper margin. Marks at the four corners from prevous mounting. Some staining at the top and bottom margins. Chalk remains fresh. Original much more vibrant than the image in the catalogue. Overall condition is good. Sold in a modern 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.
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.

Marianne Roland Michel, in the Galerie Cailleux exhibition (loc. cit.) seems to have been the first to recognize this as the work of Gillot, comparing the rapid handling with other works by the artist.  Her attribution has been accepted by all subsequent scholars.

Gillot treated the subject of satyrs and bacchanals in numerous drawings and in a set of four etchings, La vie des satyrs.  The present work is not directly related to them, but is characteristic of his red chalk style.  Gillot's drawings have frequently been confused with the early red chalk work of Watteau, who was his pupil between 1705 and 1708.