- 3
William Bouguereau
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
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Description
- William-Adolphe Bouguereau
- Portrait de Ferdinand Chaigneau (tête et mains)
- oil on canvas
- 30 3/8 by 23 5/8 in.
- 77 by 60 cm
Provenance
Ferdinand Chaigneau (possibly acquired as a gift from the artist)
Thence by descent through the family (until the 1980s)
Alain Weber, Paris
Thence by descent through the family (until the 1980s)
Alain Weber, Paris
Literature
Mark Steven Walker, "William-Adolphe Bouguereau: A Summary Catalogue of the Paintings," William-Adolphe Bouguereau, L'Art Pompier, exh. cat., Borghi & Co., New York, 1991, p. 64
Damien Bartoli and Frederick C. Ross, William Bouguereau, New York, 2010, p. 14, no. 1847/02, illustrated p. 13; and in revised 2014 edition, p. 14, no. 1847/02, illustrated p. 13 (as current location unknown)
Damien Bartoli and Frederick C. Ross, William Bouguereau, New York, 2010, p. 14, no. 1847/02, illustrated p. 13; and in revised 2014 edition, p. 14, no. 1847/02, illustrated p. 13 (as current location unknown)
Condition
This painting has been lined. The surface is smooth, and colors clean and bright. Under UV, old varnish fluoresces green unevenly; broadly applied retouches fluoresce throughout, including in the sitter's coat, face, and in the upper right corner, and to address an L-shaped break in his hand, faintly visible to the naked eye.
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 early portrait is of Bouguereau’s close friend, Ferdinand Chaigneau—an artist who specialized in landscape and animal painting who was one of the last surviving members of the Barbizon group. Bouguereau gifted this work to his friend when the two were students at the École des Beaux-Arts under the instruction of François Picot, and it remained in Chaigneau’s family until the 1980s. Even at this early stage in his career, Bouguereau demonstrates the careful modelling and use of line and color to define shape and form that would make him the undisputed master of Academic painting in the late nineteenth century.