An auction by Artcurial in Paris

All the versions of this article: English , français

20/3/23 - Art market - Paris - Several still lifes, of different origins but forming a coherent whole. This is what strikes you first in the sale of old paintings, drawings and sculptures at Artcurial which will take place next Wednesday. Several major works, including a painting by the Pensionante del Saraceni (ill. 1).


1. Pensionante del Saraceni (actif vers 1610-1620)
Melon, pastèque et fruits sur un entablement
Huile sur toile - 56 x 72 cm
Vente Artcurial, 22 mars 2023
Photo : Artcurial
See the image in its page

We will not return to the mysterious personality of this anonymous painter, who clearly bears the mark of the master to whom his conventional name refers: he most certainly worked in the orbit of Carlo Saraceni, he may have been his pupil or his assistant, but nothing is certain, not even his nationality. He could indeed be Italian, but a Spanish origin is not excluded (the name Juan Bautista Maíno is sometimes mentioned, the latter having worked in Rome in the years 1604-1611), nor is the French hypothesis. In any case, the painting is magnificent. Unless we are mistaken, this is the only painting conserved in France, along with the one in the Canesso Gallery, which we mentioned in our Tefaf review, and the only one belonging to a French museum, the Denial of Saint Peter in Douai.


2. Jean-Siméon Chardin (1699-1779)
Le Grand Buffet
Huile sur toile - 92 x 124,5 cm
Vente Artcurial, 22 mars 2023
Photo : Artcurial
See the image in its page

Another masterpiece, even if mutilated, having been cut off at the top and bottom (the composition is known from a copy), is an unpublished painting by Chardin (ill. 2) whose dimensions and subject matter bring it closer to the Buffet in the Louvre, the fatty meal being a counterpart to the lean meal, and the cat answering to the dog.
Each of the still lifes in this sale reflects a different aspect of the genre: in addition to the Caravaggio still life with the Pensionante del Saraceni and 18th-century French realism, there is a Dutch Golden Age work (a very balanced composition by Willem Van Test), two very different Flemish paintings: a large canvas by Frans Snyders and a small panel by Jan Van Kessel the Elder, which are concentrates of the art of these two painters, and three Italian still lifes from the 17th and 18th centuries.


3. Francesco Bassano (1549-1592)
L’Annonce aux bergers
Huile sur ardoise - 56 x 72 cm
Vente Artcurial, 22 mars 2023
Photo : Artcurial
See the image in its page

Several 16th century Italian paintings are worth mentioning. First, a rare panel by Luca Penni, painter of the Fontainebleau school, who in his time was as famous as Primaticcio; a very pretty little painting (ill. 3) by Francesco Bassano (Jacopo’s eldest son), which uses the support as a reserve, leaving it exposed to reproduce the goat’s dress in the centre; or a miniature on metal, double-sided, by Alessandro Allori.


4. Jacques Stella (1596-1657)
Sainte Madeleine au pied de la Croix du Christ
Huile sur cuivre - 33 x 24 cm
Vente Artcurial, 22 mars 2023
Photo : Artcurial
See the image in its page

French 17th century painting is well represented, with rare, somewhat atypical works with very affordable estimates. For example, a small panel by Guy François depicting a Holy Family with St. Jerome is estimated at only €2,000-3,000, and a delightful copper by Jacques Stella, a Saint Magdalene at the Foot of the Cross (ill. 4), at €15,000-20,000. Also of note is an early painting by Laurent de La Hyre, where the artist is still very close to his Fontainebleau models.


5. Marguerite Gérard (1761-1837)
Une jeune femme venant de recevoir une lettre de son époux
Huile sur toile - 61 x 50,5 cm
Vente Artcurial, 22 mars 2023
Photo : Artcurial
See the image in its page

For the French 18th century paintings, the masterpiece of the sale is undoubtedly that of Marguerite Gérard (ill. 5) where we find her very recognisable style inspired by the painters of the Leiden school, and for the 19th century we will point out a pretty still life by François Bonvin and a large mountain landscape by Gustave Doré.


6. Pierre-Paul Prud’hon (1758-1823)
Le Naufrage de Virginie
Lavis brun et rehauts de gouache blanche sur trait de crayon noir - 20,2 x 16 cm
Vente Artcurial, 22 mars 2023
Photo : Artcurial
See the image in its page

And we will end this review with the drawings, of which four large unpublished sanguines by Hubert Robert, preserved in the same family since the beginning of the 19th century, stand out, as well as a sheet by Pierre-Paul Prud’hon (ill. 6) preparatory to an edition of Bernardin de Saint-Pierre’s novel, Paul and Virginie, the other sheets of which served as models for the engravings - the authors are notably François Gérard and Anne-Louis Girodet - are to be found in the author’s vellum copy preserved at the Bibliothèque nationale.

Your comments

In order to be able to discuss articles and read the contributions of other subscribers, you must subscribe to The Art Tribune. The advantages and conditions of this subscription, which will also allow you to support The Art Tribune, are described on the subscription page.

If you are already a subscriber, sign in.