1 / 50
an old photo of an old castle in the middle of the daytwo men sitting on the floor in front of a table with basketsan old photo of a group of men standing in a fielda black and white photo of a snow covered mountainan old photo of a picture of a city with a mountain in the backgroundan old photo of a group of people standing in a fielda black and white photo of an old photo of a riveran old book with a drawing of a woman in a blue dressan old photo of a man on the crossphotograph of a group of men standing next to each other on a beachan old photo of a couple of women holding onto a polean old photo of two men standing in front of a blue skyan old photo of a man and a woman sitting in a chaira blue and white picture of a woman sitting on top of a boxa picture of an old photo of a stone wallan old photo of a man in a bathing suitan old photo of a man standing in front of a buildingan old photo of a man dressed in a robe and hattwo women dressed in traditional clothing are standing in front of a buildingan old photo of a man carrying a large bagan old photo of a man in a bathing suitan old drawing of a fish with a long tail on a piece of paperan old photo of a man handing something to another manan old photo of a man standing in front of a wallan old photo of a woman standing in front of a buildinga old photo of a group of people with cowsan old photo of a group of people in a courtyardtwo women sitting under a large tree with applesan old photo of a group of people sitting under a treean old photo of a man and a woman on the beachan old photo of a building in the middle of a parkan old photo of a group of people riding on a horsea large crowd of people gathered outside of a buildingan old photo of a group of people sitting on the steps of a buildingan old photo of a man with a cart pulled by a cowan old photo of a view of a city from the top of a hillan old photo of a view of a city from the top of a hillan old photo of a view of a town from the top of a hillan old photo of a group of people posing for a picturean old photo of a man standing in front of a buildingan old photo of a group of people standing in front of a tentan old photo of a man in a turban with a flower in his handan old photo of a group of people sitting on the groundan old photo of a man and a camel in the deserta old photo of a group of people standing in front of an airplanean old photo of a group of people standing under a treean old photo of a man and a camel in the desertan old photo of a man throwing a frisbeean old photo of two men dressed in traditional clothing standing next to each othertwo old black and white photos of a woman sitting in a chair
Featured lot selected by the auctions House.
Premium ROUILLAC

Estimate €2,000 - €4,000
Sale commission
Description
[Art] Olivier Pichat (1823–1912), painter and photographer, and the panorama of Jerusalem on the day of Christ’s death (1888) A collection of over 150 photographic prints, mostly mounted on heavy card, in various formats and conditions, approx. 22 x 28 cm An extremely rare collection from the studio of a painter-photographer Pichat was first and foremost a painter. These photographs were not finished works, but he used them as tools. Many painters of that era concealed their use of photography so as not to ‘devaluing’ their manual skill. The fact that these prints have been preserved offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the industrialised artistic production of the time. Here, the artist uses photography in both a utilitarian and artistic sense, as a ‘database’ of poses. Each photographic plate is a working document, a piece in an immersive jigsaw puzzle aimed at producing the most perfect possible illusion of a realistic panorama—a quasi-cinematic reconstruction based on the technical image. Olivier Pichat was not merely a painter; he was a ‘director’ using photography as a pre-production tool, exactly as film directors would do a few decades later. The Panorama of Jerusalem on the Day of Christ’s Death In 1886, Olivier Pichat travelled to the Holy Land. He did not go as a tourist, but as a true ‘production manager’. His aim was to bring back irrefutable photographic evidence in order to paint a gigantic circular canvas (approximately 100 metres in circumference and 14 metres high). The aim was to capture the desolate yet majestic appearance of the surroundings of Jerusalem. For a panorama, perfect visual continuity was essential; these photographs ensured that the ‘geographical accuracy’ – which was the main selling point of such spectacles – was maintained. The panorama, inaugurated on 10 June 1888, was exhibited in a rotunda (first on the Champs-Élysées, then in Montmartre). The audience stood in the centre, on a platform, and experienced the complete illusion of being transported back to the year 33 AD. These photographs are therefore the ‘location scouting’ shots for what we might today call a 360° film set. Pichat used photography here as a sketchbook. Unlike the commercial photographers of the time (such as the Zangaki brothers or Bonfils), who sought absolute sharpness to sell souvenirs to tourists, Pichat used photography here in both a practical and artistic way. The painter sought to capture the movement of the crowd and the distribution of figures within a desert or rocky landscape. These photographs, a veritable database, served as a foundation to ensure the accuracy of the costumes and poses in his future paintings. An article published in the Parisian press in July 1888 reports: ‘The panorama of ancient Jerusalem, the recent unveiling of which drew a large, select and eager crowd to the Champs-Élysées, at Carré Marigny.’ The work, undertaken by the painter Olivier Pichat and under his direction, with his customary talent and with the assistance of esteemed colleagues such as Messrs Fauvel, Kuvasseg, Bernard and Bassie, etc., has already become one of the capital’s attractions. Messrs Dumas fils and de Lesseps were among the first to respond to the call of the project’s founders, admiring the accuracy of the effect, the colour and the various settings, however much they may have had to be altered and reconstructed for the subject – the Great Drama of Golgotha – whose various episodes and figures have been very skilfully rendered by Messrs Fauvel and Pichat. Painted by the latter, Christ on the cross and the surrounding figures effectively draw the viewer’s attention. The lighting and execution are perfect, and the vigorous clouds against which the scene stands out further enhance the overall emotional impact. ( ) at the bottom right, on the side from which the traitor Judas makes his escape, is the cave that has become the Holy Sepulchre. Here it is Kuvasseg whose style I recognise ( ) As for the general landscape, largely the work of Mr Pail ( ) the walls of Jerusalem ( ) Jeremiah’s cave on the left, Solomon’s Lake, the Mount of Olives, the road to Bethlehem, whether in the foreground or the distance ( )—Olivier Pichat’s talent, aided by Fauvel, has succeeded in rendering it both picturesque and deeply stirring, thanks to the extensive research, the essential travels and the long hours of work required by the undertaking... Unpublished Photographs Many of these photographic prints, mounted on heavy card, bear the handwritten inscription ‘Golgotha’ and a number, presumably an inventory number. Some bear scale annotations in pencil, traces of paint and thumbtack holes, confirming that these images, hung on the scaffolding, served as models for the painter. This collection comprises both albumen prints and working cyanotypes, some of which have been mounted on grid paper (l
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale ARCHIVES, BOOKS & MANUSCRIPTS
Auction location
Auction time 10/08/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like