Lancelot-Théodore Turpin de Crissé

Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson (1767–1824), Paris;

By descent to his cousin, Antoine‑César Becquerel (1788–1878), Paris;

Thence by descent;

Until sold, Paris, Artcurial, 8 November 2011, lot 44;

Acquired subsequently by the present owner.

Paris, Salon, 1814, no. 884.

C.-P. Landon, Salon de 1814, Paris 1814, p. 115;

M. Boutard, 'Salon de 1814. N^o. IX. Les Paysagistes', in Journal des Débats, 10 January 1815, p. 4;

R. Dagorne and S. Lemeux-Fraitot, 'Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson et Lancelot-Théodore Turpin de Crissé: parcours croisés et affinités électives', in La revue des musées de France – Revue du Louvre, June 2011, no. 3, pp. 58–60, reproduced in colour p. 59, fig. 7.

Note on Provenance

This radiant landscape was previously in the collection of Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson, better known simply as Girodet: a French painter and pupil of Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825). It is thought that Turpin de Crissé gave the painting to Girodet, whom he admired greatly, on the basis that Girodet would paint a portrait of Turpin de Crissé's wife in return. It would appear that Girodet never delivered said portrait, but kept the present work regardless. Following his death in 1824, the work passed to his cousin, Antoine‑César Becquerel, who was a French scientist and pioneer in the study of electric and luminescent phenomena.