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| FRANÇOIS BONVIN (Paris 1817 – 1887 Saint-Germain-en-Laye)
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| La Viellée
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Pen and brown ink, brown and grey wash; signed bottom right: f Bonvin
233 x 170 mm
Provenance:
Estate of the artist
Sale Paris, Hotel Drouot, 12.-13.3.1888, lot 2
Robert Noortman Gallery, London
Private collection, USA
Literature:
Gabriel P. Weisberg, Bonvin. Paris 1979, no.332 (ill.)
Anisabelle Berès, François Bonvin. Exh.cat. The Frick Art and Historical Center, Pittsburgh 1999, no.84, (ill.)
This freely executed brush drawing served as a preliminary sketch for a highly finished pen and ink drawing (dated 1877) of the same composition. It was made for Alexandre Dumas‘ personal copy of his Affaire Clémonceau (1866) which consisted of 16 full-page illustrations and 160 drawings illustrating the margins. This unique copy was both a book and an album of drawings and Bonvin was one of 76 contemporary artists, including Doré, Gérome, Harpignies, Meissonier and Rousseau, who were asked by Dumas to contribute to this extraordinary object .
François Bonvin was a great admirer of 17th century Dutch art, especially of Pieter de Hooch and Vermeer, and their genre scenes influenced Bonvin’s style. The French still-life tradition of the 18th century, in particular the work of Chardin and Le Nain, who were rediscovered in the second part of the 19th century can be linked to Bonvin’s work.
Throughout his career, Bonvin was interested in depicting everyday life and in the effect of light and shadow, as can be seen in this watercolour.
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P. and D. Colnaghi and Co., Ltd - 15 Old Bond Street London W1S 4AX, United Kingdom Tel: +44-20-7491 7408 Fax: +44-20-7491 8851 contact@colnaghi.co.uk
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