Piat-Joseph Sauvage

A l'oeil nu, le tableau se présente dans un état de conservation satisfaisant. Il est sur sa toile d'origine et la peinture est parfaitement stable. On ne constate aucun soulèvement de matière. On constate une couture de toile horizontale sur toute la longueur de la toile à 19.5 cm du bord supérieur. On voit quelques restaurations le long de cette couture. Notons un accident au milieu de la toile sur la colonne du bûcher d'offrandes créant une déchirure de 5 cm de hauteur. Quelques petits manques de matières près de la signature en bas à gauche. A l'arrière, il y a neuf pièces de toile indiquant quelques restaurations ponctuelles. La matière est très belle avec une belle épaisseur. A la lampe UV : On constate une restauration sur la ligne déjà signalée. To the naked eye, the painting is in a reasonably well preserved condition. On its original canvas. Painted surface perfectly stable. We cannot see any lift of surface. There is an horizontal stitch starting 19.5 cm under the upper edge and going all along the upper edge. We can see some minor restoration along this stitch. There is a small accident in the middle of the canvas on the column making a tear 5 cm high. Few lack of paintings near by the signature. On the back of the canvas, we can see nine pieces of canvas for previous restoration. The painted surface is beautiful with a nice thickness. Under the UV light : We can see few restoration along the already mentioned stitch.
"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."

This grisaille, imitating a bas-relief, represents a Floralia, a festival held during ancient Rome in honor of the goddess Flora, whose sculptured effigy can be seen in the background. The painter's usual putti are relegated to the middle ground, while four young women burn flowers on an altar as an offering to the deity.
Piat-Joseph Sauvage, who specialized in trompe-l'oeil painting simulating bas-reliefs, seemed to have developed a passion for working the medium that his father, a glass cutter, had taught him until he was seventeen. Also, Martin Joseph Geeraerts's characteristic inkling for the ancient bas-relief resemblances rendered in grisaille had to influence him since Sauvage was admitted to the Saint Luc Academy in 1744 under the latter's governing board.
Meanwhile, Piat Joseph Sauvage's mastery was such in this field that he surpassed many artists, prompting his contemporaries' admiration, who used their pencil to imitate the sculptor's chisels in their decoration. Examples of his grisailles can be found at the King's and Queen's Apartment at the Château of Compiègne, the Grand Salon of Mesdames de France at the Château of Bellevue, the Petit Trianon in the little rotunda drawing-room of the small farm, and the Château of Chantilly's theater, a work so well done, which earned him the title of First Painter of the Prince de Condé¹...

1. Bulletin de la société d'histoire de l'art française, Paris 1925, p.196.