Louis-Léopold Boilly

L. Gauchez,
his sale, London, Christie's, 13 July 1889, lot 77, to Agnew (with lot 76, Café de la Régence by Boilly),
with Thomas Agnew & Sons, London;
Georges Lütz,
his sale, Paris, Galerie Petit, 26-27 May 1907, part of lot 11 (with Café de la Régence by Boilly);
E.M. Hodgkins,
his sale, Paris, Galerie Petit, 30 April 1914, part of lot 5 (with Café de la Régence by Boilly);
sale, Paris, 16 May 1927, lot 4;
E. Férault, by 1931;
Desoutter, Lille;
sale, Paris, Christie's, 18 March 2004, lot 174,
where acquired by the late Jan Krugier 

Paris, Grand Palais, Exposition centenale de l'art Français, 1900, no. 721;
Paris, Musée Carnavalet, La vie Parisienne au XVIIIe siècle, 1928, no. 117;
Paris, Ancien Hôtel de Sagan, Exposition L. Boilly, 1930, no. 102;
Lille, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Boilly (1761-1845). Un Grand peintre Français de la Révolution à la Restauration, 1988-89, no. 44

H. Harrisse, Louis Boilly, Peintre, Dessinateur et Lithographe (1761-1845), Société de propagation des Livres d'Art, Paris 1898, p. 163, under no. 885;
P. Marmottan, Le peintre Louis Boilly (1761-1845), Paris 1913, p. 228;
Le Figaro Artistique, 5 May 1927, p. 471, reproduced;
A. Mabille de Poncheville, Boilly, Paris 1931, pp. 140 and 167;
A. Scottez de Wambrechies, Boilly, exh. cat., Lille, Musée des Beaux-Arts, 2011, p. 211, reproduced

Hinge mounted on card. There is an old repair running inwards from the centre of the right edge and another small repair located between the top of the two central pillars. The four edges all have varying degrees of wear, with small nicks and losses in places, the most significant of these to the upper and lower right edge. The sheet itself is in otherwise good condition with some small stains and areas of surface dirt throughout. The medium is still strong and the watercolour vibrant. Sold in a gilded Empire 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.

A highly significant drawing from the 1810s, the present work is an impressive, large scale representation of a scene in a crowded Parisian cabaret, in which Boilly has vividly documented the numerous social interactions taking place between its patrons.  In the centre of the composition two seated men play cards surrounded by onlookers, while in the foreground kneeling children enjoy a musical puppet show performed by a Savoyard, a compositional device also employed by Boilly in two paintings dated to 1812.¹

Intended as a detailed preparatory work for a painting of the same subject, now in the collection of the Musée du Louvre, Paris,² Boilly has made some minor changes in details between the present work and the final painting. These include the couple embracing at the right hand table and the dog, introduced by Boilly in the painting, which lurks under the same table, staring inquisitively at the puppet show taking place in front of it.

Until the sale of 1914, the present work had shared the same fate as a second interior of a Parisian café, titled Café de la Régence and now in the collection of the Musée Carnavalet.³  The floor plan and basic layout of the tables and chairs is fundamentally identical in the two compositions, yet the underlying social context between the two could not differ more.  While the present sheet portrays a popular cabaret where men and women happily canoodle, the scene in the Café de la Régence shows a far more restrained, bourgeois environment in which men play chequers or quietly read the newspaper, while the only ladies present are found serving drinks at the counter in the background.

This carefully executed drawing is one of the most beautiful and representative examples of Boilly’s work, in which the artist, with characteristic elegance, manages to capture the rustic charm and informality of a popular Parisian cabaret, whilst illustrating in the process that even at a time of great political upheaval, everyday life goes on.

1. L’Entrée au Jardin Turc, Los Angeles, The J. Paul Getty Museum, inv. no. 2010.11; La Représentation de Marionnettes, Paris, Collection Jacques Kugel

2. Paris, Musée du Louvre, inv. no. R.F. 1936

3. Paris, Musée Carnavalet, inv. no. D. 8020