Michel-François Dandré-Bardon

Collection of Friedrich von Wolf-Ebenrod (1894-1920)

Kunstverein, Barmen, 1929, n. 86

C. d'Ageville, Eloge Historique de Michel-François d'André-Bardon, Recteur de l'Académie royale de Peinture et de Sculpture..., Marseille, 1783, p. 33
D. Chol, Michel François Dandré-Bardon ou l'apogée de la peinture en Provence au XVIIIe siècle, Aix-en-Provence, 1987, p. 76, n. 6

Le tableau apparaît dans un état de conservation satisfaisant. Il a fait l'objet d'un réentoilage dans la première moitié du XXe siècle correctement réalisé. Il a fait l'objet d'un nettoyage récent, également correctement réalisé. A la lampe UV : on constate quelques reprises dans le drapé blanc, quelques petits points dans le corps du Christ et quelques petits points à droite vers le bord. The painting is in a good overall condition. It has been relined in the first half of the XXth century in a good way. It has been cleaned recently, also in a good way. Under the UV light, we see few restorations in the white drapery, few touches in the body of the Christ and at the right near by the edge.
"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 moving work painted by the Aix-en-Provence artist Michel-François Dandré-Bardon had disappeared for centuries and was listed as such in his catalogue raisonné¹. Only the engraving realized via eau-forte by Dandré-Bardon himself, brilliant engraver and skillful painter, prompts us of its existence².

Finally, the painting resurfaced during the auction of the collection of German industrialist Friedrich von Wolf-Ebenrod, an admirer of fine paintings from the beginning of the preceding century and who had amassed various masterpieces between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.

If the canvas was dated by the art historian Chol around the year 1726, a signature, and a date on the lower right of this painting refines our knowledge of this endearing artist by placing this work shortly after the end of the French Regency in 1724.

1. D. Chol, Michel-François Dandré-Bardon, 1998, n°6
2. A multiple of this engraving is currently in the collections of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (France's national library), Christ Lying Dead at the Foot of the Cross (inv. FRBNF44545356)