Jean-Baptiste-Henri DURAND-BRAGER (Dôle-de-Bretagne, 1814 - - Lot 345

Lot n° 345
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Estimation :
15000 - 20000 EUR
Jean-Baptiste-Henri DURAND-BRAGER (Dôle-de-Bretagne, 1814 - - Lot 345
Jean-Baptiste-Henri DURAND-BRAGER (Dôle-de-Bretagne, 1814 - Paris, 1879) Sebastopol - Panorama taken from the English batteries Oil on canvas 56.4 x 270 cm Signed and dated lower right: H Durand Brager 1857 On the original frame, the inscription: SEBASTOPOL / Panorama pris des Batteries Anglaises / à gauche du Ravin de Worontzoff / H.Durand Brager. (Restorations) Provenance : - Charles-André Colonna Walewski Count and Countess Collection Exhibitions : - Temporary exhibition, jointly organized by the Mucem in Marseille with the Musée Rath in Geneva, J'aime les Panoramas, from November 4, 2015 to February 29, 2016. - On loan for five years to the Château de Compiègne. Biography: Jean-Baptiste-Henri Durand-Brager (Dôle-de-Bretagne, 1814 - Paris, 1879) As a teenager, he frequented the studios of Eugène Isabey and Théodore Gudin, while intending to pursue a career as a naval officer. Embarked as a painter on several scientific and military missions, notably to Algeria and Senegal, he succeeded in reconciling his passion for travel, his taste for adventure and his artistic vocation. In 1840, aboard the Oreste, he was part of the La Plata expedition. It was diverted to St. Helena to escort the Belle-Poule, which was to bring Napoleon I's ashes back to France. He attended the Emperor's exhumation and was commissioned to produce a souvenir album, which was later lithographed. In 1843, he explored Argentina and Uruguay, then headed up the Brazilian coast. On his return, he painted a six-panel panorama of the Bay of Rio for the Prince de Joinville, and La Prise de Mogador for Louis-Philippe. From 1844 onwards, he exhibited historical paintings at the Salon: Le Bombardement d'Alger par Duquesne en juin 1683, Le Combat de la frégate Niémen contre l'Améthyste et l'Aréthuse (Bordeaux, Musée des Beaux-Arts). He uses his travel memories to paint a view of Gorée (Senegal) or the port of Solidad (Patagonia), as well as Le Matin d'un dernier jour and Le Soir d'un dernier jour, subjects borrowed from his logbook and exhibited at the 1847 Salon. In 1853, aboard the Cacique, he took part in a reconnaissance survey of the Black Sea coast, noting in the process the layout of Russian forts 1. As draftsman for Admiral Hamelin's squadron, he took part in the Crimean campaign until March 1856. He also took part in the Italian Expedition, witnessing the battles of Montebello and Magenta. A contributor to L'Illustration, he published popular works on armies and Voyages autour du monde, an overview of his adventurous life. A specialist in seascapes, he received prestigious commissions from Napoleon III and Tsar Alexander II, for whom he painted Le Combat de Sinope, "one of the most remarkable canvases he produced" 2. In 1860, he was judged too old to take part in the China expedition. He then devoted himself to his students and the publication of albums: La Marine française, La Marine de commerce and Les Corsaires français, which he left unfinished. He died in Paris in 1879. [ATTENTION description truncated by Drouot - Full details in catalog] Work in temporary import The buyer will have to pay import duties, i.e. 5.5% in addition to the hammer price, unless he immediately re-exports the work outside the European Union. Work in temporary import The buyer will have to pay import fees of 5.5% in addition to the hammer price, unless the buyer immediately re-exports the lot outside the European Union.
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