View full screen - View 1 of Lot 23. Portrait of a Gentleman.

The Art of Pastel: A Swiss Private Collection

Claude-Jean-Baptiste Hoin

Portrait of a Gentleman

Auction Closed

January 25, 04:44 PM GMT

Estimate

20,000 - 25,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

The Art of Pastel: A Swiss Private Collection

Claude-Jean-Baptiste Hoin

Dijon 1750 - 1817

Portrait of a Gentleman


Pastel;

inscribed, signed and dated, lower right: fait par Son ami / CJB. hoin Ptre du Roi / 1778

550 by 445 mm

Général Paul-Edouard-Alfred Darras (1834-1903), great-grandnephew of the artist by marriage, Château d'Arsonval,
by descent to his cousin,
Pierre-Emmanuel-André Fernandez (1886-1952),
Madame Réne-Félix Fadier, née Denise-Henriette Fernandez (1919-1999), Paris 1963;
with Galerie Marcus, 1998,
where acquired by Jacques-Louis Isoz

Dijon, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, Claude Hoin, 1963, no. 49
J.M. Marquis, 'Fréquence Pastel. Une Collection de Pastels du XVIIIe siècle', in Connaissance des Arts, Supplément Suisse, March 1990, p. XV, reproduced;
N. Jeffares, Dictionary of pastellists before 1800, London 2006, p. 251, reproduced/ online edition, no. J.4.218 

Distinguished and sophisticated, the sitter in this elegant portrait remains unidentified. Executed by Claude-Jean Baptiste Hoin (see also lot 21), it is inscribed with an affectionate dedication alongside the artist's signature and date: fait par Son ami.


Striking in the choice of palette, the light flesh tones of the face and hair are in stark contrast to the black of the sitter's coat, lending a theatrical quality to the portrait. In very good condition, this is a rich and strong example of Hoin's work in this medium.