- 181
Louis Gauffier
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 USD
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Description
- Louis Gauffier
- Two views of Rome
- Both pen and black ink and gray wash over pencil;
both bear numbering in brown ink, lower right: no7 and no8 respectively and both bear numbering and attribution in pencil, verso: no7 Louis Gauffier- and no8 Louis Gauffier
Condition
Both hinge mounted. Both sheets show some signs of surface dirt to their four edges and there are some other very minor small stains and areas of surface dirt to both sheets. Otherwise in very fine condition with the medium fresh and vibrant throughout both sheets.
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
Louis Gauffier won the Prix de Rome in 1779 and with the exception of a brief return to Paris in 1789, spent the remainder of his relatively short life in Italy. Like many of his fellow countryman, Gauffier soon fell under the influence of the great French Neoclassicist, Jacques-Louis David, who had himself won the Prix de Rome in 1774. Indeed, this influence can be most keenly felt in the two views of Rome that make up the present lot, in which Gauffier reduces the architectural forms into basic geometric patterns, eliminating human life and nature from his representations of the city of Rome, a technique frequently employed by David in his own sketchbooks of the 1770s.
A sketchbook of closely comparable views by Gauffier, bearing similar numberings and with nearly identical dimensions, is in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum.1 Indeed, the pages numbered 7 and 8 appear, along with others, to be absent from the Getty's sketchbook and whilst this is by no means a confirmation that the present lot once formed part of the same sketchbook, it does clearly illustrate how well both of these drawings fit into Gauffier's known oeuvre from this particularly informative period of his career.
A sketchbook of closely comparable views by Gauffier, bearing similar numberings and with nearly identical dimensions, is in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum.1 Indeed, the pages numbered 7 and 8 appear, along with others, to be absent from the Getty's sketchbook and whilst this is by no means a confirmation that the present lot once formed part of the same sketchbook, it does clearly illustrate how well both of these drawings fit into Gauffier's known oeuvre from this particularly informative period of his career.
For a more in depth discussion of David's influence on Gauffier see A. Ottani Cavina, 'Roma 1784: la città reale e la città geometrica nelle vedute urbane di David e della cerchia', in Il paesaggio: dalla percezione alla descrizione, Venice 1999, pp. 221-237
1. Inv. no. 1367-928