Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Former Villeboeuf Collection ;
Former Magimel Collection ;
Sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, March 20th 1959, lot 4 (illustrated pl. I) ;
Sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, January 28th 1998 ;
Purchased from the above by Antal Post de Bekessy ;
Thence by descent

Ingres, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, April - May 1911, n°196 ; 
Ingres, Chambre syndicale de la curiosité et des Beaux-Arts, Paris, May - June 1921, n°161

Exhibition catalogue Ingres, Petit Palais, Paris, 1967-68, mentionned p. 168 under the catalogue note to n°119 ;
Exhibition catalogue Ingres, The J.B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville ; The Kimbell Art Museum Fort Worth, Texas, 1983-1984, mentionned p. 78

- loose sheet of paper, glued on the borders - minor tear on the right border, by the page's left elbow - irregularities in the paper - small scratch (a bit dirty) behind Don Pedro's back, lower left - old inscription "Vue du Louvre [...]" upper right
"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."

Ingres had several ideas to illustrate this episode : in the end, four compositions were painted. The first version, presented at the 1814 Salon, has disappeared. However, the composition is known from a print by Réveil. By 1819, another work was executed for Jean Alaux, now kept at the Musée du Château de Pau (illustrated below). A third version was painted in 1820 for M. Graves (Louvre, Abu-Dhabi). Finally, the last version was executed in 1832 and is now kept at the Louvre, Paris. The scene in the first three compositions takes place in the Salle des Caryatides in the Louvre : the first two versions show the sculptures by Jean Goujon on the left ; the third one shows them on the right. The 1832 version takes place before the Henri II stairs in the Louvre, as the king's entourage is looking : Gabrielle d'Estrées, the duc d'Epernon, and perhaps Ingres himself, behind the cardinal Duperron.

The main characters are executed in the same position in each version : Don Pedro is kneeling and the young page is presenting the sword on a velvet cushion. However, the scenography and the costumes are different in all versions. Our drawing is the only other composition presenting Henri IV's "H" in the background, on the wall, as it appears on the 1814 version according to Réveil's print.