Old Master Day Sale including Old Master Paintings, Drawings and British Works on Paper

Old Master Day Sale including Old Master Paintings, Drawings and British Works on Paper

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 230. HUBERT ROBERT  |  LANDSCAPE WITH FIGURES BY A MILL.

HUBERT ROBERT | LANDSCAPE WITH FIGURES BY A MILL

Lot Closed

July 29, 02:07 PM GMT

Estimate

2,000 - 3,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

HUBERT ROBERT

Paris 1733 - 1808

LANDSCAPE WITH FIGURES BY A MILL


Black chalk

273 by 380 mm


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Robert was in Rome from 1754 to 1765. He was sent to the French Academy by the Comte de Stainville (later the Duc de Choiseul) and seems to have established himself there quickly, earning a good report as well as commissions. Aside from studying classical antiquities and architecture, the students were urged to go out and draw in the countryside. Robert also studied extensively the ancient ruins, particularly the Forum, providing himself with ample motifs for future paintings and drawings.


The present black chalk study, large in scale, depicts a mother and child in front of a mill.  His inclusion of figures in many of his views not only emphasizes the scale of the buildings but also animates them with scenes of daily activity. Robert has manipulated his medium of black chalk to create subtle contrasts in the drawing, emphasizing the different dimensions within the mill house.