A drawing by Greuze for the Petit Palais

3/4/25 - Acquisition - Paris, Petit Palais - Could this be a sign of good neighbourly relations? In the end, it was the Petit Palais that got the ball rolling on preemptions at Artcurial last week on the first day of the sales of old masters (see the news item of 25/3/25). Baptiste Roelly, who recently arrived from the Musée Condé in Chantilly to look after the drawings, prints, manuscripts and old books, was able to take away this large sheet (ill. 1) by Jean-Baptiste Greuze for €15,000 hammer, or €19,940 with fees, thanks to the La Marck Foundation! If the sum seems low for such a drawing by Greuze, it is undoubtedly because it is well known on the market, having already been bought in at Christie’s in London on 2 July 2019 - its estimate was then £30/40,000 - but also because of its condition, which is far from perfect. Artcurial rather coyly refers to «rubbed varnish» in its notice. Who cares! When we contacted them, the Petit Palais was delighted, especially as the museum is preparing its Greuze exhibition, already more than expected and scheduled for 16 September 2025 to 25 January 2026, coinciding with its tercentenary!

1. Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805)
The Farmer’s Son’s First Wheat Harvest?
Black chalk, brown and grey ink, grey wash - 47.5 x 59.5 cm
Preempted by the Petit Palais
Photo: Artcurial

See the image in its page

Thus sold at its low estimate, this drawing is undoubtedly a pretty good deal for the Parisian museum and its patron, since it was recently offered by the London dealer Stephen Ongpin for an unknown sum, but one can only imagine it to be significantly higher than its recent sale price. Although the image (ill. 2) is still present on the gallery’s website, the notice has logically disappeared [1], while remaining legible in the comprehensive catalogue published for Master Drawings in 2021. We can only recommend reading it: it reveals - valuable - information, starting with its recent provenance. The drawing…