From Watteau to Vuillard, A Parisian collection: French refinement in the spotlight

On 21^st September, Artcurial will offer an attractive collection of drawings, paintings, works of art, and furniture tastefully gathered in the first half of the 20^th century and having remained in the same family ever since. Entitled From Watteau to Vuillard, A Parisian Collection, the sale will feature rare works of art spanning from the 16^th to the early 20^th century, highlighting the French 18th century and its exquisite refinement.

Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721)
A woman in profile
Estimation: €50,000 - 80,000

François Boucher, Antoine Watteau, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Jacques-André Portail, Hubert Robert or Charles-Nicolas Cochin: the great names of the Age of the Enlightenment were brought together with passion and discernment by our collector.

Most of the drawings in this sale were acquired in the 1920s and include a wonderful Jean-Honoré Fragonard drawing after a self-portrait by Rembrandt, estimated at €20,000 - 30,000, and an attractive sanguine of Sganarelle by François Boucher, estimated at €20,000 - 30,000, illustrating Molière.

Two rare wax sketches by Antoine-Louis Barye, Hercules and the Erymanthian Boar and a horse for the equestrian statue of Napoleon in Grenoble, both in a remarkable condition, will also be part of this sale. Two paintings by Édouard Vuillard commissioned directly to the artist testify to the modernity also present in the collection.

The second chapter of the sale devoted to Furniture and 18th century decorative arts will open with some forty lots of silverware, amongst which a pair of candlesticks by Jean-François Balzac from 1755-1756, estimated at €10,000 - 15,000 and an ecuelle by Charles François Croze from 1736-1738 estimated at €6,000 - 8,000.

The collection will offer for example numerous works of art such as an ormolu-mounted and Chinese celadon porcelain ewer, the finely chiseled mounts dating from the Louis XV period, the porcelain Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795) estimated at €30,000 - 50,000. This model, of which several examples are known, is famous for having been delivered by Lazare Duvaux to the greatest collectors of his time, including Madame de Pompadour.

A silk and wool pastoral tapestry,
History of Gombaut and Macée, Bruges, late 16th-early 17th century
Estimation: €40,000 - 60,000

Some prestigious cabinet makers and menuisiers will also be featured in the sale: an elegant Louis XVI satinwood demi-lune commode by Lacroix, estimated at €15,000 - 20,000; a Louis XV table à écrire en chiffonnière, stamped by Charles Topino, estimated at €3,000 - 5,000; a pair of Louis XV bergères by Etienne Meunier estimated at €5,000 - 8,000; or a pair of Louis XV armchairs by Nicolas Heurtaut estimated at €2,000 - 3,000. A rare suite of three late 16th century Bruges tapestries depicting episodes from the story of the lovers Gombault and Macée, a popular Renaissance tale, will be one of the highlights of the sale.

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Information
Exhibition
Saturday 17^th to Tuesday 20^th September, 11am - 6pm
Closed on Sunday

Auction
Wednesday 21^st September - 2pm

Contact
Matthieu Fournier
+33 1 42 99 20 26