Lot 8
  • 8

Michel Dorigny

Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
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Description

  • Michel Dorigny
  • Study of an Allegorical Female Figure in flight
  • Black chalk heightened with white chalk
  • 243 by 270 mm; 9½ by 10 5/8  in

Provenance

Sale, London, Sotheby's, 2 July 1984, lot 96;
with Adolphe Stein, Paris,
where acquired in 1984

Condition

Laid down on a decorative card mount. There are losses to the extremities of the sheet that have been sensitively made up. The sheet itself has fractionally discoloured and there are some old water stains to the upper half of the sheet. There is also evidence of some very minor surface dirt to the sheet. The medium itself remains strong throughout. Sold in a modern giltwood frame.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

This handsome sheet, executed in a combination of black and white chalk, is a rare example of a surviving drawing by the 17th Century Frenchman, Michel Dorigny. Dorigny’s close artistic proximity to Vouet has long led to drawings by the former being attributed to the latter, with a fine case in point being that of a comparable black and white chalk drawing, on the London art market in 1999. This drawing bore an old attribution to “Mrvouette” but was convincingly attributed by Barbara Brejon to Dorigny, due to its connection with a winged figure of Victory in the lower section of his ceiling painting Fame holding the Portrait of Philippe d’Orléans, in the Pavillon de la Reine at Vincennes.

A connection between the present drawing and a surviving painting has, thus far, been unforthcoming. We are however grateful to Damien Tellas who, on the basis of a digital image, has kindly supported the historic attribution to Dorigny. Mr Tellas states that both the anatomy of the shoulders and arms, as well as the facial "type" found in the Barnet drawing, are consistent with the female figures in the artist's portrayal of Diana and Actaeon, now housed in the collection of the Petit Palais, Paris, most notably the nymph, seated on the right side of the composition.