- 205
Jean-Baptiste Pillement
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Jean-Baptiste Pillement
- Rocky landscape at dawn with a herdsman and his livestock on a path;River landscape at dusk with fishermen on the river and a girl and herdsman conversing on the bank
- both signed and dated lower left: Jean Pillement / Jan 3 D, la R
- a pair, both oil on canvas
Provenance
Anonymous sale ('Property of a Gentleman'), London, Phillips, 2 December 1997, lot 74, where acquired by the present collector for 64,208 Pounds.
Condition
The canvases are lined, the paint surfaces are relatively clean and the varnishes are slightly streaky and discoloured. In the former there is a short, vertical, thin line of indentation in the centre, which has not resulted in any paint loss. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals extremely few, very minor scattered retouchings, and the paintings are overall very well preserved and in good condition. Offered in carved and gilt wood frames with losses to the gilding.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
On 5 October 1793 a new calendar was imposed by the French Republican government, which began the dating from the start of the Revolution the previous year, as part of an overall effort to eradicate the practices of the ancien régime. The present pair of works, dated in the abbreviated form L[']an 3 D[e] la R[épublique], were painted by Pillement in 1794. It was during this time that Pillement moved away from Lyon, which had been severely assaulted by the Revolutionary armies, into the remote, mountainous region overlooking the Hérault River. The present pair shares much in common with other works produced during these years, inspired by the picturesque, rocky, watery surroundings, which are characterised by a luminous palette and similar compositional arrangements.1
1. See, for example, the pair in the Musée Fabre, Montpellier, inv. nos 864.2.13-14; M. Gordon-Smith, Pillement, Krakow 2006, pp. 262-63, reproduced in colour p. 263.