Madrid

17th-century Mexican School - "Annunciation." Oil on canvas. 110 x 89 cm, framed 120 x 99 cm. Framed. This work comes from the city of Morelia, the monastery of the Capuchin Poor ...

This pair of sideboards features a classic design with two folding doors and one interior shelf. Crafted from solid wood dating back to the 1950s, the sideboards are adorned with col...

Exceptional original sofa designed by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia in 1972, composed of 3 modular seatings with its backrest and 2 armrests White bouclé wool upholstery. - Three...

Jaeger LeCoultre Memovox wristwatch. This is a vintage piece with a unique case design, with curved lugs. It has alarm function. The case is gold plated and measures 32 mm in diamete...

Versace for Rosenthal "L'Ange Gabriel" Plate, 1996 Rosenthal "Versace" Christmas plate, 1996. Porcelain, white with colorful decor, maker's mark "Rosen...

A circular mirror surrounded by a gilded metal frame. The metal has been twisted to create the appearance of a rope. At the top, there is a ring. The designer's signature can be seen...

CARL JOHANN LOTH (Circle of ) "Caritas Romana", oil on canvas. Recovered. Dim.: 122 x 94 cm good conditions Johann Carl Loth, also called Carlotto (Munich, 8 August 1632-Venetia, 6...

“IKB” model coffee table designed by the French artist Yves Klein (1928-1962). Table composed of a box made of perplex with a glass top lid inside which Klein blue pigments are distr...

Small writing desk of wood and metal, Formica table top. Front of the two drawers painted in black and white. Made in Italy in the 1960s. Please note some marks on the top and wear o...

Curious Italian design ring made in the 80's with retro reminiscences. Handmade in 18 karat yellow gold, with a tube border and a wavy gallery. Double claw setting and bezel. Weight ...

Hand is a polished bronze sculpture by contemporary artist Marcelo Martin Burgos, dimensions are 126 × 50 × 40 cm (49.6 × 19.7 × 15.7 in). The sculpture is signed and numbered, it is part of a limited edition of 4 editions + II AP, and comes with a certificate of authenticity. This sculpture was made by the artist as a good luck charm for his daughter's future obstacles. The hand is modelled after the Hand of the Mysteries, sometimes referred to as the Philosopher's Hand. This alchemical representation first surfaced in Isaac Holland's Die Hand der Philosophen in the fifteenth century. Marcelo Burgos...

ANTHROPOMORPHIC SCULPTURE CARVED IN STONE OF THE RECUAY CULTURE PERU 400BC-400AC Recuay is an archaeological culture of Ancient Peru that developed in the Sierra of the current Peruvian department of Áncash between 200 AD. C. until 600 d. C. It corresponds to the stage called Regional Developments, it has also been called the Huaylas or Santa culture. Like the other Early Intermediate cultures, little is known about this culture. The most accepted position is that it was an extension of the Chavin culture, after the influence of the "White on Red" style in the region. Regarding the political aspect of the recuay, there is a hypothesis that questions their autonomy and maintains that Recuay would be part of one of the many political units that made up the Moche state. The recuay style, characterized by its ceramics and stone sculpture, was initially described by Eduard Seler in 1893, based on ceramic specimens brought to the Ethnographic Museum in Berlin by Mariano M. Macedo. Seler named this style of pottery Recuay, based on the report that these pieces had been found in the town of Recuay. Later studies showed that this characteristic pottery was not originally from Recuay but from Copa, near Carhuaz, for which reason the name change to that of this town was proposed. Eventually the name of Huaylas was used for this culture. In 1919 Julio C. Tello explored the area and recovered lithic sculptures and Recuay-type ceramics. In the 1960s Rafael Larco Hoyle proposed changing the names of Recuay and Copa to Santa, arguing that the Recuay style had originated in the coastal regions of the Santa Valley. However, the name Recuay has persisted. Its chronology is also highly debatable. The time of its origin between 0 and 200 AD is discussed. C. and its end or collapse is commonly set to 600 d. C. probably caused by the invasion of the Huari conquerors. It encompassed almost the entire Callejón de Huaylas, a narrow valley fed by the Santa River and enclosed between two mountain ranges, the Cordillera Blanca to the west and the Cordillera Negra to the east. Its influence extended to the east to the Marañón river basin and to the west to the upper parts of the Santa, Casma and Huarmey valleys. To the north it reached the town of Pashash, in the province of Pallasca. The Copa area, Marca district, Recuay province, Ancash department seems to have been the center or main nucleus of cohesion of this culture. The name of the culture would then be justified, derived from the province of the same name. Other important settlements were those of Huilcahuaín (near the current city of Ancash), Cátac, Araucay, Tambo, Jancu, Upayacu and Pashash (near the current city of Cabana). Its main form of expression of art was through stone work (carving and masonry), inherited from its predecessor, the Chavín culture. In addition, they made sculptures in lumps that represent warriors with shields or trophy heads, with which they decorated their complex architectural constructions. They also made white clay pottery...

Cylindrical lamp designed by Emilio Rey, with black handmade ceramic base and lampshade in Kitenge fabric. Piece made to order in 1950.

Enhance your collection with this decorative terracotta bust of the renowned Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes. Crafted circa 1900, this bust captures the literary icon with remarka...

This exquisite 19th-century Orthodox cross is crafted from bronze and adorned with enamel, a combination that ensures its durability and stunning visual appeal. The dimensions of the...

Decorative pair of oil paintings on panel from the early 19th century, attributed to the French School. Each painting is presented in its original giltwood frame, finely carved and r...

Italian Mid-Century Sideboard in Colored Glass and Brass, 1950s Elegant Italian sideboard featuring an original solid wood structure from the 1950s, newly finished in colored glass ...

LADY'S DESK WITH CYLINDRICAL TOP 20th-century French, Louis XVI style, mahogany wood. Lifted with three drawers, roller top, interior with drawers and compartments, and a sliding to...

Elongated pendant lamp composed of a three-level brass structure, illuminated by LED strips running along its entire length. Each level is wrapped with a Murano glass plate, creating...

Introducing a captivating blend of contemporary design and vintage aesthetics, this pair of sideboards effortlessly combines modern craftsmanship with timeless charm. Crafted from ex...

This large Italian commode features a classic design with seven drawers. The original wood structure dates back to the 1950s and is elegantly covered with colored glass, adding a tou...

Pair of brass table lights with brown leather detail. Made in Sweden by Örsjö Industri. White fabric lampshades that are slightly different.

This bar cabinet features an original 1950s solid wood structure with contemporary colored glasswork and includes two doors. It stands on sculptural solid wood legs and is accented w...

The large seat/sculpture mod. Up7, designed by the renowned Italian architect and designer Gaetano Pesce in 1969, represents a milestone in contemporary furniture design. Produced by B&B Italia as part of the UP series...

Portraits of the monarchs Louis XIII and Anne-Marie of Austria as hunters. Oil on canvas. Possibly Madrid school, 17th century. Pair of full-length portraits showing the characters against natural backgrounds, with landscapes with mountains in the distance and trees. The male character, who looks directly at the viewer, has dark hair and a fine moustache, and is dressed in a ruff, a doublet, leather gloves, a blued breastplate with gold details, breeches, white silk stockings and cavalier boots. The lady, who modestly lowers her gaze, has her head partially covered with a hat decorated with a brooch and white feathers; she is dressed in a ruff and a dress with a wide-skirted doublet and skirt, wide-mouthed gloves and a short cloak with a decorated edge gathered around the left arm and placed over the right side of the skirt. Alongside these “hunting” dresses, they appear carrying firearms and accompanied by large dogs. The king's dog is standing alertly, turning his head to one side. The queen's dog is sitting looking at her, with a collar and a rope that she holds in her left hand. The male subject is clearly the French King Louis XIII (Fontainebleau, 1601-Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 1643), monarch of France and Navarre (1610-1643), son of Henry IV of France and Marie de Médicis and father of Louis XIV of France. Compare with other portraits: by Rubens, painted around 1622-1625 at the Norton Simon Museum (Pasadena, California, USA); by Philippe de Champaigne, painted in 1635 and kept at the Museo del Prado (Madrid, Spain); the painting by Frans Pourbus the Younger from the 1920s at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Chambéry (France); etc. Louis XIII married Anne of Austria, daughter of Philip III of Spain, in 1615. This was brought about by the marriage agreement of Fountainebleau (1611), which stipulated the future wedding of the Prince of Asturias, Philip IV, with the French princess Isabella of Bourbon, and that of the French monarch with Anne. Anne Maria Mauricia of Austria and Austria-Styria (Valladolid, 1601-Paris, 1666) was an Infanta of Spain and Portugal as the daughter of Philip III of Spain and Margaret of...

Oriental table. Carved wood, metal. Twentieth century. Side table made of carved wood, with a rectangular top board decorated with two highlights on its smaller sides and a drawer i...

CELSO LAGAR Spanish, 1891 - 1966 PAVILLON DE CIRQUE signed "Lagar" (lower right) oil on canvas 15 x 18 inches (38 x 46 cm.) framed: 21-1/2 x 24-1/2 inches (54 x 62 cm.) NOTE: THIS W...

DUTCH SCHOOL After Adrien van der Werff 18th Century "Abraham Sends Hagar and Ishmael Away" Oil on canvas 89 x 69.5 cm This work is a reproduction of the composition in the Germald...

Jules Moigniez (1835-1894) bronze horse Very pretty bronze horse signed by J Moigniez from the XIX century. It has a very nice patina that it has ...

Italian Mid-Century Sideboard in Colored Glass and Brass, 1950s Elegant Italian sideboard composed of two folding doors with an interior fully lined in grey velvet and fitted with a...

Pair of table lamps with wrought iron frames, tripod bases, and wooden stems - Casa & Jardín - Spain - c. 1990 Dimensions: 68 x 47 cm (with shade); 57 x 28 cm (without shade)

Pair of jars. Chinese from the 19th century, in cloisonné metal, in shades of yellow and polychrome. Decorated with peaches, bats and prunus branches. Three character marks on the...

Ameyaltepec, Guerrero. Tempera on paper. Venancio, Eugenio. Mexico, 20th century. Naïve rural landscape titled in the lower right and signed in the lower left, with people, building...

Cushions made of velvet and cotton fabric. Design edited by Dedar, Tiger Mountain. Finished with fringes and zip at the back. Every item LA Studio offers is checked by our team of 1...

Console table designed by Angelo Mangiarotti composed of tabletop resting on two conical marble legs,1970s. Iconic and original design in Arabescato marble. This piece is an exampl...

Gaetano BATTAGLIA (Naples-Italy-Active between 1850 and 1885) Large circular earthenware plate in the style of Italian majolica with polychrome historiated decoration on the basin, t...

1950s Faventia organ Spanish organ made in Barcelona by: Faventia it is in good general condition, complete and functional. Good condition.

A grand 19th century French Baccarat crystal 36-light, triple-tier chandelier. At over one meter high and wide, this large and impressive style of crystal chandelier was especially p...

Sputnik chandelier made of teardrop shape Murano glass ends and brass rods fixed to a central brass orb. Light bulbs that are fixed to the central orb. Made in Italy. Our main targe...

TERRACOTTA HEAD OF ATHENA LEMNIA BY PHIDIAS, Italy 20th Century The bronze original by Phidias, made between 451 and 448 BC for the Athenians who had come as cleruchi, or colonists,...

While this mythological animal with a lion's body and female head is found in ancient Egyptian art, idealization, its proportions and the lines of the sculptures relate them much mor...

A polychrome carved wooden statue of St. Michael the Archangel. It's believed to be the work of Luis Salvador Carmona (Nava del Rey, Valladolid, 15 November 1708 – Madrid, 4 Februar...

Pair of sideboards with two folding doors made of solid wood structure and coated with colored glass. Details and handles and legs made of brass. Production can last between 5 and 6...

Goya oil on canvas from xviii century The canvas is relined. It is from the same time that Goya made the cartons. The painting measures: 135 x 101 cm without frame. The dutch frame measures: 172 x 140 cm -The blind chicken (1789) is one of the cartoons that served as a model for the manufactures of the Royal Tapestry Factory of Santa Bárbara by Francisco de Goya...

Sculptural Dichroic Glass Coffee Table by ODA LIK Studio. Limited Edition. Dimensions: W 89 x D 135 x H 34 cm. Materials: Dichroic glass composition with custom chromatic properties,...

Large, very imposing portico clock, from the Charles chiselled with acanthus leaves, geometric shapes, gadroons and water leaves as well as on the flat surfaces of the garlands and r...

Tapestry from the Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period , made in 1738 at the Gobelins One panel from a series of Gobelins tapestries depicting the History of Esther, illustrating Esther seated and attended by handmaidens, one washing her feet in golden basin, another fastening a bracelet, another offering a mirror, all observed by Mordecai, woven in the workshop of Michele Audran after a design by J. F. de Troy. The Toilet of Esther c.1778-85.Royal Collection Trust-Queens Audience Chamber Windsor Castle The Sketches for the Esther Cycle by Jean-François de Troy (1736) “and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mor’decai, ..., took for his own daughter.” (Est. 2:7) A supple and undulating genius, both a flattering portraitist and a prolix history painter, as well as a brilliant genre painter, in a gallant or worldly vein, Jean-François de Troy (Paris, 1679 – Rome, 1752), solicited, although he had passed the threshold of old age, a new royal commission up to his ambitions. To obtain it, he submitted – successfully - for the approval of the Bâtiments du roi (administration), seven modelli painted in 1736 with his usual alacrity. Inspired by one of the most novelistic texts of the Old Testament, the Book of Esther, these sketches in a rapid and virtuoso manner were transformed by the artist, between 1737 and 1740 into large cartoons intended to serve as models for the weavers of the Gobelins factory. Showing undeniable ease and skill in the composition in perfect harmony with the sensitivities of the times, the tapestry set met with great success. The Story of Esther perfectly corresponded to the plan of the Bâtiments du roi to renew the repertoire of tapestry models used for the weavers of the royal factories while it also conformed to the tastes of Louis XV’s subjects for a fantastical Orient, the set for a dramatic tale in which splendour, love and death were combined. Indeed, no tapestry set was woven in France during the 18th century as often as that of Esther. The series of modelli painted by de Troy during the year 1736 looks to the history of French painting and decoration under Louis XV as much as it does the history of the Gobelins. It probably counts among the most important rococo pictorial groups to have remained in private hands. First the Biblical source illustrated by De Troy which constitutes the base of one of the richest iconographical traditions of Western art will be considered. Then the circumstances and specific character of French civilisation during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV which contributed to making the theme of Esther a relevant subject, both attractive to contemporaries and remarkably in line with the sensitivities of the time will be elucidated. An examination of the exceptional series of sketches united here, the cartoons and the tapestries that they anticipate as well as a study of their reception will close this essay. The Book of Esther: A scriptural source at the source of rich iconography. The origin of the Esther tapestry set by Jean-François de Troy – origin and creation of a masterpiece According to the evidence of one of the artist’s early biographers, the chevalier de Valory, author of a posthumous elegy of the master, read at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on 6 February 1762, it was apparently due to early16 rivalry with François Lemoyne (1688-1737), his younger colleague who had precisely just been appointed First Painter to the King in 1736, that had encouraged François de Troy to seek a commission allowing him to show off his ease and his promptitude at the expense of a rival who was notoriously laborious: “M. De Troy, retaining some resentment of the kind of disadvantage which he believed to have suffered compared with his emulator looked to regain some territory by making use of the facility his rival did not possess. Lemoyne was excessively long in the creation of his works,and M. De Troy of a rare celerity: consequently, with this particular talent, the latter offered to the court to make paintings appropriate to be executed at the Gobelins Factory; and it is to this circumstance that we owe the beautiful series of the Story of Esther, which would be sufficient alone to give him a great reputation.”17 Beyond the suspicion inspired by the topos, which still constitutes, more or less, a tale of rivalries between artists in ancient literature, there is probably some truth in what Valory reports although A.-J. Dezalier d’Argenville (who indicates rather spitefully that de Troy did not hesitate to “cut prices” to impose himself, benefitting from the productivity assured by the unlikely rapidity of his brush)18 proves to be more evasive: “As he looked to busy himself, he had offered to make the paintings that serve as models for the King’s tapestries cheaply: which did not please his colleagues. He was given a choice of two tapestry series to be made and he took the Story of Esther and that of Jason”.19 Whether or not the choice was actually left to de Troy (which would appear rather casual on the royal administration’s part all the same), it seems likely that the artist, whose contemporaries extol his “fire”, as the faculty of invention was then called, must have ardently aspired to the possibility of using on a very large scale the “creative genius” with which Dezallier d’Argenville credits him. The decoration of the private apartments, the fashion for which Louis XV had promoted at Versailles and Fontainebleau, offered little opportunity to excel in this area. Other than painting for altarpieces, only tapestries could allow comparison with Lemoyne who had been granted – unfortunately for him – a major decoration: the enormous ceiling of the Hercules Room at Versailles. Favoured by the recent improvement in France’s financial situation, the revival of patronage offered de Troy a commission fitting for him, in a field in which, however, he had hardly any experience. Anxious to renew the repertoire of models available to the Gobelins factory, the Duc d’Antin, surintendant des Bâtiments du roi from 1708 to 1736 followed by his successor, Philibert Orry comte de Vignory, gave him the task of producing seven large cartoons inspired by the Book of Esther corresponding to the brilliant sketches or modelli which de Troy had produced in one go, or almost (very few preparatory drawings can in fact be linked to the Esther cycle and all seem to be at the execution stage of the cartoons).20 Subjected to the approval of the Administration des Bâtiments according to the procedure in use for projects being planned for the Gobelins, sketches made rapidly during 1736 were approved and the project launched immediately. Thereupon came the news of François Lemoyne’s death, who, ground down by work and a victim of his private torment, committed suicide on 4 June 1737. Against all expectations, de Troy did not replace his rival in the position of First Painter (which remained vacant until the appointment of Charles Coypel in January 1747), which would perhaps have made him too obviously the beneficiary of the drama. The awarding of the position of Director of the French Academy in Rome came to console him while he had already produced (or he was in the process of finishing), in Paris, three of the seven cartoons of the cycle (The Fainting of Esther finished in 1737 and the Toilet and Coronation of Esther, both finished in 1738). De Troy, we can see, did not follow the order of the narrative but began with the subjects which apparently offered the least difficulty because he had already depicted them, or because they fall into a strong pictorial tradition (such is the case especially for the Fainting of Esther). He had hardly settled at the Palazzo Mancini in August 1738, when his first task which awaited the new director of the French Academy naturally consisted of honouring the royal commission and finishing without delay the final cartoons of the Story of Esther after the sketches he must have taken with him. As prompt as ever, de Troy discharged himself of the execution of the four remaining cartoons in only two years, by beginning with the largest format which allowed him to strike the imagination and to impose himself as soon as he arrived on the Roman stage: the Triumph of Mor’decai which was finished in 1739 (like Esther’s Banquet). The following year, the Mor’decai's Disdain and The Sentencing of Haman were brought to an end in the same Neo-Venetian style, obviously tributary to Veronese with its choice of “open” monumental architecture which is characteristic of the entire cycle.21 The series, it should be noted, was almost augmented with some additional scenes in the mid 1740s. Indeed, the first tapestry set finished at the Gobelins in 1744 proved to be unsuitable for the arrangement of the Dauphine’s apartments at Versailles for which it had been intended to decorate the walls the following year (cf infra). Informed of this, de Troy, considering that the story of Esther offered “several good subjects,” immediately offered to illustrate one or new subject among those “which could appear to be the most interesting”. The directeur des Bâtiments Orry, who managed the State’s accounts, obviously judged it less costly to have one of the tapestries widened to fill in the end of the Dauphine’s bedroom,22 which has probably deprived us of very original compositions, because de Troy had already illustrated the most famous themes, those that benefitted from a strongly established iconographical tradition and from which it was not easy to deviate The Tapestry Set of the Story of Esther Placed on the tapestry looms of the Gobelins at the end of the 1730s in Michel Audran’s workshop, the cycle created by de Troy aroused true infatuation. The few hundred tapestries made between 1738 and 1797 – all in high-warp tapestry and woven in wool and silk except for four in low-warp made in Neilson’s workshop – show the impressive success of a tapestry set that was without any doubt the most frequently woven of the 18th century in France. 29 Only three cartoons had been delivered by de Troy in 1738 when the first tapestry set was begun by Audran under the expert eye of Jean-Baptiste Oudry to whom the Directeur général des bâtiments, Philibert Orry had assigned the (weekly) supervision of the weaving. During the summer of 1738, the piece of the Fainting of Esther, which Oudry judged to be admirable, was finished. During the winter of 1742, Oudry informed Orry that about two ells of the Triumph of Mor’decai had been made “with no faults”,that the Coronation of Esther was finished and that the Esther at her Toilet “a very gracious tapestry” was “a little over half” finished. Exhibited at Versailles in 1743, these two last pieces were admired by Louis XV and the Court. On 3 December 1744, the set of seven tapestries was finally delivered to the Garde Meuble. It was intended, the honour was not slight, to decorate the apartments of the Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain whose marriage to the young Dauphin Louis-Ferdinand had been fixed for the following year (it took place on 23 February 1745). Apparently it was thought that the theme of Esther the biblical heroine and wife of a foreign sovereign was appropriate for the apartments of the Spanish Dauphine. As early as the month of March, the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel informed de Troy that her grand cabinet was decorated with the “Esther tapestry set” specifying however that “for lack of two small or one large piece, we have not been able to decorate the end of the room”. This difficulty led immediately to the Banquet episode being woven a second time in two parts (they were delivered to the Garde-Meuble on 30 December 1746) to garnish the panels on each side of the bed of the Dauphine who would hardly enjoy them (she died on 22 July 1746 and the decoration was installed for the new Dauphine Maria Josepha of Saxony). The appearance of the set’s remarkable border, which imitated a richly sculpted wooden frame, should be mentioned. Conceived in 1738 by the ornamentalist Pierre Josse-Perrot and used in the later weavings until 1768, it tended to reinforce the resolutely painterly appearance of the tapestry set which, in this regard, pushed the art of tapestry as far as its ultimate mimetic possibilities. With the exception of Mor’decai's Disdain which had been removed earlier, the “editio princeps” of the story of Esther (from then on in nine pieces) remained at Versailles until the Revolution. Of the eight surviving tapestries, four are at the chateau of Compiègne and four belong today to the Mobilier National. No less than seven tapestry sets reputed to be complete (one of them in fact only had six tapestries) would be produced officially at the Gobelins up to 1772. Literature: 1- The Œuvres mêlées of an emulator of Racine, the Abbé Augustin NADAL thus include an Esther. Divertissement spiritual which is exactly contemporary with Jean François de Troy’s cycle since it was performed in 1735 and published in Paris three years later. 2-Le Siècle de Louis XIV, 1751, 1785 ed., p. 96-97 for French ed. 3- Lemoyne and de Troy had been obliged to share the First Prize in the competition organised in 1727 between the most prominent history painters of the Académie Royale. 4- Mémoires…, pub. L. DUSSIEUX et al., 1854, II, p.265. 5-The fact that de Troy, at the risk of falling out with his colleagues, did not hesitate to make use of prices in order to convince the new directeur des Bâtiments Philibert Orry, is confirmed by Mariette who adds tersely “it caused much shouting” (pub. 1851-1860, II, p. 103). 6- Abrégé de la vie des plus fameux peintres…, ed. 1762, IV, p. 368-369 20 Early comments on the painter are inclined to present him as a kind of “pure painter”, doing without the medium of drawing, a few intermediary studies between the Esther sketches and the large cartoons at the Louvre nevertheless show that de Troy used red chalk (see in the catalogue, the notice for the Meal of Esther and Ahasuerus under the entry drawing) to change one or other figure. 7-C. GASTINEL-COURAL (cat. exp. PARIS, 1985, p. 9-13) as well as the article by J. VITTET, exh. cat. LA ROCHE-GUYON, 2001, p. 51-55. 8-The Hermitage in St. Petersburg conserves five tapestries of these two royal gifts whose provenance still awaits elucidation (as far as we are aware). In 1766, the Grand Marshal of Russia, Count Razumovski (or Razamowski), acquired the Fainting and the Banquet extracted from the sixth weaving (J. VITTET, 2001, p. 53). 9- Lettres écrites de Suisse, d’Italie…,quoted by J. VITTET, op. cit., p. 54. 10-The tapestry set remained in the hands of a branch of the Hapsburg-Lorraine family until 1933 (ibid. P. 54). 11-Quoted by Chr. LERIBAULT, 2002, p. 97, note 269. 12-Y. CANTAREL-BESSON, 1992, p. 241. Catalogue The Esther at her Toilet Oil on canvas, 57 x 51 cm Provenance: Painted in 1736 at the same time as the six other modelli of the Story of Esther intended to be presented, for approval, to the direction des Bâtiments du Roi; perhaps identifiable among a lot of sketches by Jean-François de Troy in the post mortem inventory of the amateur, historian and critic Claude-Henri Watelet (1718-1786) drawn up on 13 January 1786 and following days (A.N. T 978, n° 30) then in the sale of the property of the deceased, Paris, 12 June 1786, n° 33; Paris, François Marcille Collection (who owned a series of six sketches from which the Triumph of Mor’decai was missing, see infra); Paris, Marcille Sale, Hôtel Drouot, 12-13 January 1857, n° 36; Asnières, Mme de Chavanne de Palmassy ( ?) collection; Paris, Galerie Cailleux; Paris, Humbert de Wendel collection (acquired from the Galerie Cailleux in 1928); by inheritance in the same family; Paris, Sotheby’s, 23 June 2011, n° 61. In order not to add unnecessarily to the technical commentary on each work, the catalogue raisonné by Chr. Leribault which contains a substantial bibliography on the series should be referred to. The other bibliographical references only concern the publications and exhibitions to have appeared and been presented more recently. Bibliography and Exhibitions: Chr. LERIBAULT, 2002, n° P. 247 (repr.); E. LIMARDO DATURI, 2004, p. 28; Exh. cat. NANTES, 2011, p. 138, n° 34, referred to in note 1; Sotheby’s catalogue, Tableaux anciens et du XIXe siècle, 23 June 2011, n° 61 (repr.). Related Works: Tapestry cartoon: The cartoon (oil on canvas, 329 x 320 cm), the third made by the artist in Paris after the sketches had been approved by the direction des Bâtiments, is in the Louvre (Inv. 8315). It previously bore the painter’s signature and the date 1738 (inscriptions which are found on the tapestries). The royal administration paid 1600 livres for it on 21 June 1738 and it was exhibited at the Salon in the year of its creation. Summary Biography 1679 (27 January): Baptism in Paris (Parish of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet) of Jean-François de Troy, son of the painter François de Troy and Jeanne Cotelle, sister of the painter Jean II Cotelle. 1696-1698: Studies (apparently rather turbulent) at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture. 1698-1708: First trip to Italy. Is obliged to leave Rome in January 1711 after a tempestuous affair (a duel?), de Troy extends the traditional Roman experience as a pensionnaire at the Académie de France by also visiting Tuscany where he stays for a long time, Venice (his art in face has a strongly Venetian character) and Genoa. 1708: De Troy (whose father had been elected Director of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on 7 July) is agréé and immediately received at the Académie with Apollo and Diana Piercing with their Arrows the Children of Niobe (Montpellier, Musée Fabre) on 28 July. 1710: First royal commission, paid for on 10 May (a sketch representing “the Promotion of the Order of the Holy Spirit” for the tapestry series of the History of the King). 1716: Jean-François de Troy is elected Assistant Professor at the Academy. 1720: He is appointed Professor. 1723: The artist creates the double portrait of Louis XV...

IDEAL TERRACOTTA HEAD OF A WOMAN - GREEK/ROMAN SCULPTURE, 20th Century Portrait of an ideal woman from a Roman copy, 1st century AD The Roman copy was based on a Greek original from...

This timepiece, featuring a chronograph and calendar, features a silver-tone sunburst dial. The sunburst dial is a decorative finish applied to a watch face, giving the impression of...

"Thousand-faced" fan in a fan case. Paper, lacquered wood, wood and glass… Canton, China, late Qing dynasty (1644-1912) and later. It has faults and damages. A fan case containing ...

This beautifully proportioned "en chapeaux de gendarme" or "gendarme's hat" style French provincial armoire wardrobe brings together form and function in dramatic fashion. At almost ...

Mod Ekstrem armchairs designed by Terje Ekstrom. Structure made of steel covered with woolen knit foam, and upholstered with yellow wool fabric. Every item LA Studio offers is check...

Elegant and finely cast pair of large Italian dog sculptures in gilded bronze, made with exceptional attention to detail and form. The figures ar...

Contemporary 20th Century 18k yellow gold ring with emerald center and diamonds. Weight: 7.40 grams Size: ES 14/ EU 54 / US 7 (resizable) Gemological description: • Emerald center w...

Rectangular case with hinged lid made decorated with fine inlays of floral and floral elements on its faces, containing a set of toiletry set composed of various elements of grooming...

“Bracket” table clock with automata and chime. Metal, glass, etc. Spencer & Perkins. London, 1765-1806. Perfect working condition. The clock features a lacquered case with gilt bro...

LOUIS XV STYLE CHEST OF DRAWERS Portuguese, 19th century Made of various types of wood, with three large drawers. Box domed at the front and sides. Hardware and applications in gold...

Exceptional and monumental garden bench crafted in Italy from fine travertine marble. Measuring an impressive 5 meters in length, this richly carved bench features classical decorati...

Hand painted coffee set by Limonges. Composed of; 1 bowl, 7 small bowls, teapot, sugar bowl, milk jug and 14 cups with plates.

Modernist lamp in patinated bronze. No screen. No adapters. A circular shape that is not completely closed forms the base of the piece, and its extension is what, after rotating it ...