Franz Christoph Janneck

With Léon Gauchez, Paris;
By whom sold to William Tilden Blodgett, New York, on 27 September 1870;
Owned jointly by William Tilden Blodgett and John Taylor Johnson, President of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, between 4 March and 22 December 1871;
Purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, on 22 December 1871;
By whom deaccessioned and sold New York, Christie's, May 31 1979, lot 72, $22,000 for the pair

Catalogue of the pictures in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1872, p. 60;
U. Piesch, Preziosen einer süddeutschen Kunstsammlung, Munich 2001, pp. 160-161, reproduced;
K. Baetjer, 'Buying Pictures for New York: The Founding Purchase of 1871, in Metropolitan Museum Journal, vol. XXXIX, p. 240, reproduced p. 241, plates 163 and 164

Both copper sheets are cradled. Both are flat and their paint surfaces are secure. The colours remain very strong in both works. Very few and minimal signs of frame abrasion are occasionally visible along the margins. In the former retouchings can be seen in the green of the chair and in the latter in the sky. The varnish in both has discoloured on the wall and in parts of the sky in the latter. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals a cloudy varnish in both. In the former very few scattered retouchings are revealed in the upper left and lower right. The latter is largely free of retouching, barring those already mentioned in the sky, and very few scattered retouchings in the standing figure at the left and in the upper left of the painting on the wall, as well as a retouching measuring approximately 4 by 4 cm at the bottom of the harp. Both works are overall in very good condition, particularly the largely untouched flesh tones and fabrics. Both works are offered in carved gilt wood frames in excellent condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Franz Christoph Janneck was born in Graz in 1703 and established himself in Vienna by the 1730s. In 1740 he studied at the Viennese Academy, later holding the post of assessor there from 1752 until 1758. The present pair are delightful examples of the merry interior scenes that made Janneck one of the greatest exponents of the Austrian rococo. His passion for detail, expressed most beautifully through the precise and delicate handling of the costumes, contributes to the charm and the timeless elegance of these works. Forming part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s founding purchase in 1871, the pair have a particularly distinguished provenance.