- 301
Charles Meynier
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- Charles Meynier
- Milo of Croton attacked by a lion
- signed and dated lower right: Ch. Meynier 1795; inscribed on the stretcher: Meynier Milon de Crotone
- oil on canvas
Literature
I. Mayer-Michalon, Charles Meynier, 1763-1832, Paris 2008, p. 122, cat. no. P26bis., reproduced.
Condition
Canvas has been relined. under a dirty and uneven old varnish. overall the paint surface has been very well preserved with nice impasto and retention of detail. there is a heavyish craquelure pattern throughout, but this is not too distracting. it is impossible to see anything under UV light due to the old varnish. painting would benefit from a light cleaning.
Offered in an elaborately carved and gilt wood 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.
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
This small, dynamic painting is a preparatory sketch for a large-scale work, now lost, that was exhibited by Meynier in the Salon of 1796.1 The Salon painting measured 7 pieds 7 pouces by 6 pieds 2 pouces(about 2.50 meters by 2 meters) and, according to the livret, was painted as a pendant to Androcles, also now lost, which was shown in the Salon the year before. Milo was a celebrated athlete and Olympic champion who lived in the Greek settlement of Croton in southern Italy in the 6th century BC. The tale of his death recounts how, late in life, as he was wandering in the forest, he attempted to test his strength by pulling apart a split tree trunk. One of his hands got trapped and he was unable to escape, leaving him easy prey for wild animals. The story is often interpreted as a parable of excessive pride. In ancient sources, Milo is devoured by wolves; however Meynier has replaced them with a single lion, thus connecting the subject to its pendant portraying Androcles, a runaway slave who pulled a thorn out of a lion’s paw and was later spared by the same lion. The original owner of both final paintings of Androcles and Milo of Croton was a collector from Lyon named Fulchiron. Mayer-Michalon (see Literature) speculates that, having acquired Androcles in the Salon of 1795, Fulchiron may have commissioned a pendant that also included the motif of a lion, the symbol of his native city.2
A modello of Milo of Croton is in the collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Montreal, and a related drawing is the Musée Fabre, Montpellier.3
1. See I. Mayer-Michalon, op.cit., cat. no. P. 23.
2. Ibid., p. 121, under cat. no. P. 26.
3. Ibid., cat. nos. P. 26 and D. 36.