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Hubert Robert (French, 1733-1808)
Saint Peter's Basilica ill…
See original version (French)
217
-
Hubert Robert (French, 1733-1808)
Saint Peter's Basilica ill…
See original version (French)
Estimate €15,000 - €20,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Hubert Robert (French, 1733-1808)
Saint Peter's Basilica illuminated, night effect
Original canvas and stretcher.
Signed lower left on the brushstroke: Roberti.. 12 (?)P. Inscribed on the back 'Maury'.
Height 49 cm Width 38.5 cm.
Minor dents and missing parts.
Gilt wood frame.
Provenance: descendants of Jacques Nicolas Joseph Célier de Bouville (1727-1789), Château de Bouville, Cloyes; private collection, Touraine.
St. Peter's Basilica Lit Up on canvas, by Hubert Robert.
Digitisation in very high definition and secure digital passport in the blockchain by Nüme, available on request from rouillac.com
A painter of ruins and architecture, often imaginary, Hubert Robert offers us here a striking vision of Saint Peter's Basilica immersed in a nocturnal atmosphere. The immensity of the building is magnified by a subtle play of chiaroscuro: a central light source partially illuminates the monumental columns and vaults, leaving the rest of the space in vibrant half-light.
The human figures, reduced to simple silhouettes, accentuate the grandiose scale of the place and invite the viewer into an almost meditative experience. True to his taste for theatrical perspectives and lighting effects, Robert's aim is not simply to represent a real space, but to reveal its poetic and spiritual dimension.
Our painting is a perfect illustration of the 18th century's fascination with great Italian architecture, while also demonstrating the artist's talent for transforming an emblematic monument into a scene imbued with mystery and contemplation. It is part of a painting tradition that was well established in 18th-century Rome, which Hubert Robert discovered during his stay in Italy, and bears witness to his close friendship and artistic relationship with Giovanni Paolo Panini (1691-1765), with whom he shared a marked interest in the great Roman architectures.
Panini specialised in monumental interior views, particularly of St Peter's Basilica, which he depicted with almost scenographic precision, animated by numerous figures. In Panini's work, the light emphasised the decorative splendour and rigour of the space, in an approach akin to veduta, whereas Robert, while inspired by these compositions, differed from them in that his interpretation was freer and more sensitive. Panini favoured descriptive clarity and order, while Robert introduced a more poetic, almost dreamlike atmosphere. The nocturnal effects, contrasts of light and partial dissolution of forms give his views an emotional and picturesque dimension that goes beyond simple topographical representation.
This dialogue between the two artists testifies to an evolution in the way architecture is viewed.
Panini's precise and brilliant celebration of the monument to Robert's more interiorised and suggestive vision, in which space becomes the theatre of an aesthetic and sensitive experience. Numerous studies, drawn or painted both inside and out (colonnade, peristyle, façade), bear witness to Hubert Robert's interest in this place. One of them is directly related to our painting. It comes from the former collection of Martine Comtesse de Béhague, presented at the sale on 1 December 1989, at Sotheby's in Monaco, "Old Paintings and Drawings - Masterpieces from the Collection of Martine - Comtesse de Béhague from the Estate of the Marquis de Ganay", lot n°23, then sold on 17 March 2010, at Blanchet & Associés in Paris, n°10.
See original version (French)
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Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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