- 36
JEAN-ETIENNE LE BEL | A family group
Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
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Description
- A family group
- Fixé-sous-verre, gilt-metal frame;signed verso: E. LeBel 1761
- 75 by 85 mm.
Provenance
Edouard Warneck, Paris;
his sale, Vienna, Leo Schidlof's Auction House, 18 November 1926, lot 32;
David David-Weill (d. 1952), until 1936;
with Wildenstein, Paris;
Sir Charles Clore (d. 1979), London, by 1964;
his executor's sale, London, Sotheby's, 10 November 1986, lot 27
his sale, Vienna, Leo Schidlof's Auction House, 18 November 1926, lot 32;
David David-Weill (d. 1952), until 1936;
with Wildenstein, Paris;
Sir Charles Clore (d. 1979), London, by 1964;
his executor's sale, London, Sotheby's, 10 November 1986, lot 27
Exhibited
London, 1961, no. 130;
Vienna,1965, lot 250;
London, 1968, no. 951, p. 154
Vienna,1965, lot 250;
London, 1968, no. 951, p. 154
Literature
Gillet, Jeannerat & Clouzot, 1957, no. 130, p. 218, illust.;
Schidlof, 1964, vol. I, p. 488, vol. II, p. 1012, no. 693, illust.
Schidlof, 1964, vol. I, p. 488, vol. II, p. 1012, no. 693, illust.
Condition
For a fixé-sous-verre of this period this work is in remarkably fine condition, with only the most minimal blistering at margin at 4 o'clock.
"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
The signature on the backing fabric of this group portrait is identical to those found on the enamel decoration of two snuff boxes by Jean-Joseph Barrière dated respectively 1765–66 and 1768–69, formerly in the Thurn und Taxis collection (see Seelig 2007, nos 7 & 8). It is likely that the artist is the same Le Bel who, in 1774, exhibited ‘Un Œuf d’Autruche sur lequel est peint un Sujet de Carnival’ at the Academy of Saint Luc in Paris (Livret no. 63). In 1760 he had been granted a privilège du roi for this speciality work. His intercessor, M. de La Roche, noted: ‘ce garçon est sage et a du talent; le Roy a trové ses oeufs très jolyment peints’ (quoted Christian Baulez 2007, p. 249). Signed examples, painted on ostrich eggs supplied by the menagerie at Versailles, include one at the château de Versailles (inv. no. T 520 C) and another in the Detroit Institute of Arts (gift of Mr and Mrs Benson Ford, 60.62). While Le Bel was evidently a master of many techniques, his biographical identity remains tantalisingly obscure.