Lotto 3038* - A164 Dipinti antichi - venerdì, 22. marzo 2013, 15h00
JEAN BAPTISTE PATER
(Valenciennes 1695–1736 Paris)
Fête champêtre.
Oil on canvas.
89 × 110 cm.
Provenance:
- Collection of the Abbot of Marneville.
- Bernstein collection, Paris.
- Christie's, London, 23.5.1903, Lot 47.
- Collection of Charles Sedelmeyer, Paris, acquired at the above auction.
- Auction "The Charles Sedelmeyer Collection", Paris, 16.-18.5.1907, Lot 223.
- Larnaude collection, acquired at the above auction - European private collection.
Literature:
Florence Ingersoll-Smouse: Pater, Paris 1928, p. 41, No. 37, fig. 70.
Exhibited:
- Sheffield 1801.
- London 1902, Guildhall, No. 136.
- Glasgow 1902, No. 57.
- Paris 1951, "Plaisirs de France", Galerie Charpentier.
Nostalgic for informal gatherings in open air with music, philosophy, poetry and art ... Frederick II of Prussia (1712-1786), better known as "Frederick the Great" or "Old Fritz", looked back fondly on the carefree days he spent surrounded by aesthetes and artists after his marriage and settlement at Rheinsberg Palace in 1736. His ascent to the Prussian throne in 1740 brought this agreeable time to a close. Did the young Francophile king hope to recreate that Arcadia? In any case, he began to collect paintings of French Rococo artists in 1744, during the Silesian Wars. Frederick II was particularly fond of the work of Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) and his students Nicolas Lancret and Jean Baptiste Pater. Watteau had created the genre of the "fêtes galantes", those scenes of merry companies in fancy dress, who give themselves over to music and elegant flirtations within idyllic natural settings. Pater and Lancret carried the tradition of "fêtes galantes" further. These festive scenes were perfectly suited to adorn the walls of royal palaces, especially Frederick's beloved Sanssouci in Potsdam. He had an art dealer in Paris who purchased on his behalf a grand scale and an exquisite collection was created that included, among other works by Jean Baptiste Pater, "Concert champêtre" (at Sanssouci Palace). Pater's compositions are distinguished by fine, feather-light drawing and shimmering outlines of the figures; as well as his pastel colouration, such as we can see in our "Fête champêtre". An elegant company is seated in a lightly wooded landscape. The figures in the foreground are arranged in a semicircle. From left to right they rise from lying, to sitting, then standing positions. A sense of dynamism is created, which is further enhanced by their voluminous robes. The six figures on the right are grouped rhythmically. Their arms are raised as if they were in so-called "Gassen", that is, in pairs facing each other, poised to commence a dance: the minuet can begin. The courtly dance in the Baroque period followed set rules. The highest-ranking pair assumed the first place; the other couples followed according to their position. In our picture as well the social order is maintained: radiant at the centre is a lady in a shimmering, cream-coloured dress, who occupies the highest place in the semicircle, together with the gallant standing behind and crowning her Queen of the Flowers. To the right are two more pairs; the two children with the little dog forming the end of the sloping semicircle, as would have befitted their rank and age. In another version of our painting Pater has added one more woman, who stands at the left edge, secretly watching the party. This variant was formerly in the collection of Lord Iveagh, installed in his neoclassical villa Kenwood House in London, where it is still shown to the public today. Our painting belonged to the collection of the Austrian art dealer Charles Sedelmeyer (1837-1925), one of the leading art dealers in the world in the late 19th century, who had showrooms in Paris at an elegant hotel maintained by liveried footmen.
- Collection of the Abbot of Marneville.
- Bernstein collection, Paris.
- Christie's, London, 23.5.1903, Lot 47.
- Collection of Charles Sedelmeyer, Paris, acquired at the above auction.
- Auction "The Charles Sedelmeyer Collection", Paris, 16.-18.5.1907, Lot 223.
- Larnaude collection, acquired at the above auction - European private collection.
Literature:
Florence Ingersoll-Smouse: Pater, Paris 1928, p. 41, No. 37, fig. 70.
Exhibited:
- Sheffield 1801.
- London 1902, Guildhall, No. 136.
- Glasgow 1902, No. 57.
- Paris 1951, "Plaisirs de France", Galerie Charpentier.
Nostalgic for informal gatherings in open air with music, philosophy, poetry and art ... Frederick II of Prussia (1712-1786), better known as "Frederick the Great" or "Old Fritz", looked back fondly on the carefree days he spent surrounded by aesthetes and artists after his marriage and settlement at Rheinsberg Palace in 1736. His ascent to the Prussian throne in 1740 brought this agreeable time to a close. Did the young Francophile king hope to recreate that Arcadia? In any case, he began to collect paintings of French Rococo artists in 1744, during the Silesian Wars. Frederick II was particularly fond of the work of Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) and his students Nicolas Lancret and Jean Baptiste Pater. Watteau had created the genre of the "fêtes galantes", those scenes of merry companies in fancy dress, who give themselves over to music and elegant flirtations within idyllic natural settings. Pater and Lancret carried the tradition of "fêtes galantes" further. These festive scenes were perfectly suited to adorn the walls of royal palaces, especially Frederick's beloved Sanssouci in Potsdam. He had an art dealer in Paris who purchased on his behalf a grand scale and an exquisite collection was created that included, among other works by Jean Baptiste Pater, "Concert champêtre" (at Sanssouci Palace). Pater's compositions are distinguished by fine, feather-light drawing and shimmering outlines of the figures; as well as his pastel colouration, such as we can see in our "Fête champêtre". An elegant company is seated in a lightly wooded landscape. The figures in the foreground are arranged in a semicircle. From left to right they rise from lying, to sitting, then standing positions. A sense of dynamism is created, which is further enhanced by their voluminous robes. The six figures on the right are grouped rhythmically. Their arms are raised as if they were in so-called "Gassen", that is, in pairs facing each other, poised to commence a dance: the minuet can begin. The courtly dance in the Baroque period followed set rules. The highest-ranking pair assumed the first place; the other couples followed according to their position. In our picture as well the social order is maintained: radiant at the centre is a lady in a shimmering, cream-coloured dress, who occupies the highest place in the semicircle, together with the gallant standing behind and crowning her Queen of the Flowers. To the right are two more pairs; the two children with the little dog forming the end of the sloping semicircle, as would have befitted their rank and age. In another version of our painting Pater has added one more woman, who stands at the left edge, secretly watching the party. This variant was formerly in the collection of Lord Iveagh, installed in his neoclassical villa Kenwood House in London, where it is still shown to the public today. Our painting belonged to the collection of the Austrian art dealer Charles Sedelmeyer (1837-1925), one of the leading art dealers in the world in the late 19th century, who had showrooms in Paris at an elegant hotel maintained by liveried footmen.
CHF 80 000 / 120 000 | (€ 82 470 / 123 710)
Venduto per CHF 595 000 (incl. premio dell'acquirente)
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