A sale of drawings at Christie’s

19/3/24 - Art market - Paris - It’s only a short step from the allegory of Glory appearing in the sky brandishing crowns to the crouching Polichinelle defecating in front of his comrades. Lovers of the graphic arts can choose between Dandré-Bardon and Tiepolo, be persuaded by the arguments of Girodet’s severe Philosophy of Polytheism or by the boasts of Lallemand’s The Rat Catcher. To coincide with Paris "Semaine du dessin", Christie’s will be auctioning a selection of drawings alongside terracottas by Clodion, Coustou and Lange on 20 March, both revealing the artist’s "thought and gesture".

1. Anton Van Dyck (1599-1641)
A Franciscan Monk, c. 1627-1632
Black chalk, white highlights - 35.5 x 25 cm
Christie’s Paris sale, 20 March 2024
Photo: Christie’s

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One of the highlights of the sale is undoubtedly Anton Van Dyck’s large sheet, Study for a seated Franciscan monk looking up (ill. 1). The artist’s attention is focused on the drapery, while the face is barely sketched. Although the drawing is preparatory to a painting, which has not been identified, it can be dated to Van Dyck’s return to Antwerp in 1627, after his stay in Italy. Christie’s broke records with a drawing by the Flemish painter, Portrait of Willem Hondius, sold in New York in 2023.

2. Simon Vouet (1590-1649)
Study of a Nude Woman in Bust Form
Black chalk, highlighted with white -
23.8 x 18.5 cm
Christie’s sale, Paris, 20 March 2024
Photo: Christie’s

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3. Jacques Bellange (1575-1616)
The Adoration of the Magi
Black chalk, pen, brown and black ink, brown and grey wash - 28.7 x 20 cm
Christie’s sale, Paris, 20 March 2024
Photo: Christie’s

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The 17th-century is also embodied by Simon Vouet, whose figure of a nude woman can be compared to Eloquence, a print sometimes attributed to Pierre Mignard or in any case executed by an artist from Vouet’s workshop (ill. 2).…