Jean Valette-Falgous, called Valette-Penot

Charles de Beistegui (1894-1970), Château de Groussay, Montfort l'Amaury;
Thence by descent to his nephew, Juan de Beistegui;
By whom sold, Sotheby's, Montfort l'Amaury, Château de Groussay (auction on the premises, 2 June 1999, lot 153 (as attributed to Penot);
Where acquired by the present collector for FRF 554,270 ($87,573). 

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work has not been recently restored. The canvas is lined. Although the cracking is raised, the paint layer seems to be more or less stable, except for the upper left, where a couple of areas need consolidation. The painting is very slightly dirty. It seems to have been cleaned at some point without being retouched, and there are some losses that should be retouched in the upper center and lower left. There is some thinness in the plums in the upper left, and other weakness here and there within the still life. The work can be re-lined to address the cracking and instability, and it would certainly benefit from careful restoration.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Jean Valette-Falgous, called Penot, was a French artist of the 18th century known for his trompe l’oeil still lifes, which were intended to “trick the eye” of the viewer into thinking the image was a three-dimensional object.  This trompe l’oeil of various cooking oils and objects along wooden shelves is typical of Valette Penot, and is similar in composition to the Trompe l'oeil with a sculpture of Hercules in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rennes (fig.1).  The present painting comes from the famous collection of Charles de Bestegui, which was sold at his magnificent residence, the Château de Groussay in France, by Sotheby’s in 1999.