- 120
Hubert Robert
Estimate
14,000 - 18,000 USD
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Description
- Hubert Robert
- Laundresses by water cascading into a stream
- Pen and black ink and watercolor within partial black ink framing lines;
signed and dated on the pedestal: H. Robert/1781 - 9 1/4 x 12 1/2 inches
Provenance
?G. Dest, until 1927 (when acquired by Wildenstein);
with Wildenstein, 1934-63 (London, French Drawings from Clouet to Ingres, 1934, no. 37; New York, Paintings and Drawings by Hubert Robert, 1935, no. 42; New York, The Great Tradition of French Paintings, 1939, no. 52; London, The Art of Drawings, 1953, no. 49);
Mrs. Donal Hardenbrook, New York, until 1969 (acquired from Wildenstein in 1963);
Private collection
with Wildenstein, 1934-63 (London, French Drawings from Clouet to Ingres, 1934, no. 37; New York, Paintings and Drawings by Hubert Robert, 1935, no. 42; New York, The Great Tradition of French Paintings, 1939, no. 52; London, The Art of Drawings, 1953, no. 49);
Mrs. Donal Hardenbrook, New York, until 1969 (acquired from Wildenstein in 1963);
Private collection
Exhibited
Washington D.C., National Gallery of Art, Hubert Robert: Drawings & Watercolors (catalogue by Victor Carlson), 1978-79, pp. 23, 66, 128, no. 51, reproduced p. 129
Literature
A.M. Frankfurter, 'The French Tradition: Festival Show,' Art News, 10 June 1939, reproduced p. 13
Condition
Laid down on card. There are a number of small abrasions/ losses in the sky (upper left of sheet). Colors have retained their vibrancy and overall image is good. Sold in a 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.
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
As Victor Carlson noted in the Washington exhibition catalogue, dated drawings by Robert from the 1780s are rare, so this lively and appealing work is an important stylistic document. It also gives interesting insight into Robert's practice of reusing motifs and even whole compositions from earlier works. In this case two other almost identical watercolors attributed to the artist, dated 1773 and 1776, are known1, as well as a similar composition, executed in black chalk, but in reverse and lacking the background architecture.2 The figures in these drawings in turn derive from those in the artist's monumental watercolor, Le grand escalier, which Carlson believes to have been drawn in Italy shortly before Robert's departure in 1765.3
1 Sale, London, Sotheby's, 9 July 2014, lot 75, and sale Paris, Hôtel Meurice, 1 December 1976, lot 14
2 Sale, Paris, Drouot, 14-15 December 1925, lot 90
3 Houston, Museum of Fine Arts; exh. cat., Washington 1978-79, op. cit., no. 20