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Thomas Compigné (active in Paris between 1748 and 1778)
"Sec…
See original version (French)
223
-
Thomas Compigné (active in Paris between 1748 and 1778)
"Sec…
See original version (French)
Estimate €1,000 - €1,500
Voluntary lot
Description
Thomas Compigné (active in Paris between 1748 and 1778)
"Second view of Marseille
Stamped pewter medallion, polychromed with gouache, gilded and varnished on a tortoiseshell background.
Mention on the rim "Seconde vue de Marseille... St Jean executed on the lathe by Compigné tourneur du Roi à Paris after the original painting by Mr Vernet peintre de Sa Majesté".
Diam. 7,5 cm.
Without frame.
Small missing parts
Provenance: private collection, Thouars.
Second View of Marseille after Vernet, polychrome tin on tortoiseshell ground by Thomas Compigné.
Thomas Compigné is one of those artistic personalities with an antagonistic biography. On the one hand, he was one of the most famous table makers of the second half of the 18th century, celebrated for his tableautins and tondi decorated with miniatures of seascapes, views of castles and Italy. On the other hand, it is difficult to retrace his history, as his bibliography is relatively silent. Previously presented as having arrived from Italy around 1750, he actually acquired the collection of André Regnard Dandre, "peigner et tabletier privilégié suivant la Cour en conseil de sa Majesté" on 7 November 1748, as we learn from the archives of notary Nicolas Michel Leroux (AN ET LXV-306). The sum of 1,800 livres was paid to his widow, Madeleine Combe. He set up business under the Roi David sign in rue Grenata.
In 1756, the Mercure de France was quick to point out the ingenuity of his work: "[Compigné] will soon bring to light various drawings of his own composition, which he executes on tortoiseshell and cardboard; the effect of this work is all the more striking because it represents nature. Those who wish to have them on gold & silver, or other metals, can order them from him: he will render them with as much precision as the Chinese designs, flowers, architecture, landscapes, etc. that one would like to obtain. He doubles cardboard snuffboxes in tortoiseshell: he mends some and others, and sells both types at very fair prices, in bulk and in detail. You will also find assortments of all types of tableware at his shop".
His technique remains mysterious, if not the most complex. He used a piece of pewter stamped in relief, which he applied to a sheet of amalgamated composition or tortoiseshell, like the five medallions presented in this sale. The compositions are then enhanced with gouache, varnish and gold. Today, the designer's name is used to describe his technique and his objects.
The compositions of the "Compignés" were inspired by drawings that "were given to him as models", as stated in the Almanach du Dauphin in 1777. Among the five medallions in this collection, two views of Marseille were made "after the original painting by Mr Vernet, painter to His Majesty". In 1753, Joseph Vernet was commissioned to produce a series of 24 paintings depicting the ports of France. Although only 15 were eventually completed, two were devoted to the port of Marseille: L'entrée du port de Marseilles (1754, Musée du Louvre, no. 8293) and L'intérieur du port de Marseille (1754, on deposit with the Musée National de la Marine from the Musée du Louvre, no. 5OA3D). Compigné was part of the fashion for views after Vernet that Diderot and the critics praised.
Although he enjoyed a certain success, notably presenting a tortoiseshell painting depicting "Les Malheurs réparés par la Bienfaisance" to the Dauphine Marie-Antoinette for Christmas 1773, his business ceased in November 1778 when he was declared bankrupt.
Brice Langlois
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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