Théodore GERICAULT (Rouen 1791 - Paris 1824) - Lot 301

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  3. Théodore GERICAULT (Rouen 1791 - Paris 1824) - Lot 301
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Lot n° 301
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Estimation :
300000 - 400000 EUR
Théodore GERICAULT (Rouen 1791 - Paris 1824) - Lot 301
Théodore GERICAULT (Rouen 1791 - Paris 1824) The officer of the Imperial Guard horse chasseurs charging The Descent from the Cross On its original canvas, double-sided 53 x 44 cm Provenance : Possibly Géricault sale, Paris, Hôtel de Bullion (Me Parmentier), November 2-3, 1824 (after Ph. Grunchec) ; Collection Félix Feuillet de Conches (1798-1887); Collection of his son-in-law Charles Jagerschmidt (1820-1894); Always remained in this family. Bibliography : Ch. Clement, Géricault. Etude biographique et critique avec le catalog raisonné de l'œuvre du maître, Paris, 1868 and 1879, no. 43 (L'Officier de Chasseurs) and 174 (Descente de Croix); H. A. Luthy, "Géricaults kopien nach Tizian" in Offentlichen Kunstsammlung Basel, Basel, 1976, pp. 189-199; Ph. Grunchec, Tout l'œuvre peint de Géricault, Paris, 1978, no. 45a and 45b, and under no. A194, with reproduction of 45b; G. Bazin, Théodore Géricault: étude critique, documents et catalog raisonné, tome III, Paris, 1986, p. 52, no. 821 (L'Officier de Chasseurs) and tome II, Paris, 1987, no. 329 (Descente de Croix); Géricault exhibition catalog, Kamakura, Kyoto, Fukuoka, 1987-1988, p.39, reproduced fig. C ; Ph. Grunchec, Tout l'œuvre peint de Géricault, Paris, 1991, n°45a and 45b, reproduced. Our painting marks a major turning point in the artist's early formative years; it is the picture with which Géricault becomes Géricault. The canvas is painted on both sides. The first side depicts the Descent from the Cross, taken from Jouvenet's 1696 painting for the Eglise des Capucines, which entered the collections of the Museum, the future Louvre, in 1796. Jouvenet's painting has always been considered the pinnacle of classical painting, perhaps its swan song, ending the century of Poussin and Le Brun. It's hardly surprising, then, that Géricault copied it, but with a powerful material and a bold touch, astonishing in a work of copying and heralding his own style, that of La Méduse. Géricault first studied with Carle Vernet between 1808 and 1810, then with Pierre-Narcisse Guérin, before enrolling at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1811. There, Géricault practiced copying at the Musée Napoléon (Le Louvre), studying Titian, Le Sueur, Rubens and Jouvenet. Our painting can therefore be dated to this period. It is cited by Clément as number 174, and he clearly states that on the back of the canvas is a sketch for L'Officier de chasseurs. An astonishing but not surprising discovery in the light of this context: a third work is hidden on our canvas. On infrared examination, beneath the Descent from the Cross, a portrait of a man appears. Reusing one's canvas is a common practice among artists-in-training, who readily recycle previously sketched supports as "rough drafts" for their on-the-spot studies. In this portrait, Géricault creates his version of the Descent from the Cross, then on the reverse of this canvas, he delivers his first personal work: a chasseur officer, quickly sketched, where the liveliness of his brush displays his characteristic virtuosity. The sketch is particularly interesting, as it shows the artist at several stages of the process. The upper part of the work is composed of horsemen, where movement is instilled by the rapid, glowing brushstrokes of the background, evoking the chaos of battle. The lower part is simply drawn with a brush: the horse's limbs are indicated by a simple black line. This was the first idea for the large painting in the Louvre, Officier de chasseurs à cheval de la garde impériale chargeant (canvas, 292 x 194 cm, see Ph. Grunchec, Tout l'œuvre peint de Géricault, Paris, 1978, no. 48, reproduced). The painting in the Louvre, the first official attempt by the 21-year-old Géricault, was exhibited at the Salon of 1812. According to Clément, the idea for the subject came from an encounter with a gray horse on the road to Saint-Cloud. The animal was said to have reared up, and the scene strongly inspired Géricault, who decided to sublimate it by adding a historical dimension. He painted his hunter at a time when the Empire was hard hit by its first difficulties in the Russian campaign. Called to arms in April 1811, he escaped conscription. His replacement, Claude Petit, died a few months later. This type of representation, usually reserved for equestrian effigies of generals - such as David's Napoléon au Saint-Bernard, or Gros's Murat in La bataille d'Eylau ... [ATTENTION description truncated by Drouot - Full details to be found in the catalog].
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