Lot 260
  • 260

Jean Baptiste Jacques Augustin

Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Jean Baptiste Jacques Augustin
  • A lady seated by a keyboard, holding a letter
  • Black chalk and stumping, heightened with white, within drawn margins;
    inscribed, on the letter: Bordeaux 20/j'espere ma chere.../paris du premier au dix germi[nal]/je soufre encor de ma/Douleur mais je le/supporterai avec plus/du patience quand je/penserai que chaque minutes me rapprochent/de toi', and bears inscription, lower left margin: J B Isabey

Condition

Overall condition good. Some slight foxing, and a little surface dirt in the margin. Sold in a modern 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.
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

Augustin was a very successful portraitist, specializing in miniatures but also making large chalk works like this fine example.  He was a contemporary of Isabey, so the attribution inscribed in the margin is not surprising.  A Portrait of a Man, very similar in handling and in the description of the facial features, was sold London, Christie's, 2 July 1996, lot 281.  A beautiful miniature showing him and members of his family in profile like an antique cameo, is in the St. Louis Museum.1

1.  Pierre Rosenberg, French Master Drawings of the 17th & 18th centuries in North American collections, London 1972, p. 127, fig. 139; p. 131, no. 3