Xavier Rendeley

Persephone, 19th Century Classical French Academy Drawing

1883

18th Century French Sanguine drawing, possibly a preparatory sketch for the painting by Nattier after the painting by Rubens. Presented in shaped 'marie-louise' mount in plain gold wood frame with collection label. The subject is the Queen Marie de' Medici seated on a grand throne, the baby is in the arms of Health while Justice looks over him. Fecundity brings a cornucopia of fruit with the heads of the other children the Queen will bear. The Sun rides his chariot across the sky to indicate that Louis XIII was born in the morning and the calm figure of France surveys the whole scene. An engraving exists (see the Wellcome Collection) of this same image: 'The birth of King Louis XIII', after the engraving by B. Audran the younger after the painting by Jean-Marc Nattier after the oil painting of Peter Paul Rubens in the Louvre 'La Naissance du Dauphin (future Louis XIII) à Fontainebleau, le 27 septembre 1601'. Jean-Marc Nattier (17 March 1685 – 7 November 1766) was a French painter. He was born in Paris, the second son of Marc Nattier (1642–1705), a portrait painter, and of Marie Courtois (1655–1703), a miniaturist. He is noted for his portraits of the ladies of King Louis XV's court in classical mythological attire. He received his first instruction from his father, and from his uncle, the history painter Jean Jouvenet (1644–1717). He enrolled in the Royal Academy in 1703 and applied himself to copying pictures in the Luxembourg Palace, making a series of drawings of the Marie de Médici painting...

Pencil study portrait drawing of a child painting at an easel by French artist Charles-Jean Agard. The work is signed bottom left and presented in a carved wood and gilt frame with mount under glass. A very charming pencil study of a child sitting at an easel. Agard has beautifully captured the head and face in full, with the light and shade, the rest of the body and surroundings are in sketch form, the contrast between the two making for a very successful composition beautifully capturing the intensity of the sitter. Charles Agard...

French, Mid Century, pastel and crayon portrait of an elegant young lady by Gourdon. Signed and dated bottom left. Trade label to the back board. Presented in period deep 'tray' frame. This seems to be an early work by the artist and hence it carries his name rather than his later more distinctive signature 'Aslan'. Alain Gordon was one of two brothers, his sibling Michel also went on to achieve notable success with his distinctive 'comic' style. Alain Gourdon...

A set of three framed watercolour and gouache studies on handmade paper applied to Vélin d'Arches of tribal objects by French artist La Roche Laffi...

A late 20th Century watercolour and pastel drawing of machines in a landscape by British artist Paul Chambers. The painting is signed bottom right and carries an exhibition label for...

Late 18th Century French pastel portrait on paper of a young lady in period dress in a 'feigned oval'. In gilt wood frame presented under glass. Very much of its period and similar ...

Bozzetto Accademico della Testa di un Cherubino. Disegno a carboncino e gessetto bianco su carta leggermente colorata di grigio. Seconda metà dell'Ottocento In buone condizioni. Prov...

Melchior DOZE (1827-1913) Study of a saint, ca. 1875-79 Preparatory drawing for the decoration of the church of Saint-Félix de Saint-Gervasy (Gard), chapel of the Cross (south side...

The work represents a carefully rendered and meticulously observed environmental portrait of a young girl absorbed in study in front of a book case. It celebrates the intelligence o...

A portrait of a male head, in profile by BenFenske. The artist uses a variety of colors to convey a naturalist impression. Artist Bio Ben Fenske (b. 1978) although a native of Minn...

A colorful self-portrait from Ben Fenske, staring at the viewer straight-on. Hues of red dominate. Unframed. Ben Fenske (b. 1978) although a native of Minnesota, and has been worki...

An early work on paper, by American Impressionist painter, Ben Fenske. It's rare to see a drawing like this from Fenske, especially of a self portrait. Fenske uses classical draftin...