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123
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Henri Philippe COCLERS (1738–1804), known as Van Wyck
See original version (French)
123
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Henri Philippe COCLERS (1738–1804), known as Van Wyck
See original version (French)
Estimate €4,000 - €8,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Henri Philippe COCLERS (1738–1804), known as Van Wyck
Catherine II, with books and maps
CANVAS
Height: 47.5 cm
Width: 38 cm
Frame: Gilded carved wood, 17th-century Spanish work
Previous restorations and minor lifting
Provenance:
- M.H. Doniol Collection;
- Caze de Caumont Collection (reproduced in A. Mallet and J. Isaac; 17th–18th Centuries, Secondary School Level, p. 509, Hachette, 1923).
- Rigaud Collection – Antibes
Our painting was published as a heliogravure frontispiece in the book *Autour d’un trône, Catherine II de Russie, ses collaborateurs, ses amis, ses favoris* (*Around a Throne: Catherine II of Russia, her collaborators, her friends, her favourites*), published by K. Waliszevski, Paris 1894. (With a frontispiece based on a painting by van Wyck from the collection of M.H. Doniol).
Catherine II of Russia, known as Catherine the Great, saw herself as an enlightened sovereign, deeply interested in books, the sciences, philosophy and geography. From her youth, she read extensively, particularly the authors of Antiquity and the philosophers of the Enlightenment. In her memoirs, she recounts, for example, having sought out the works of Plutarch, Cicero and Montesquieu.
For her, books were both a means of acquiring knowledge and a tool of governance. She
maintained a correspondence with Voltaire and Diderot and acquired major European libraries.
Her Hermitage collection grew to be considerable: in 1790, Catherine herself stated that she owned more than 38,000 books, in addition to prints, drawings and scientific collections.
Maps were also of particular importance to an empress ruling over a
vast territory. Cartography enabled her to understand, measure and administer the Russian Empire, but also to
demonstrate its power and expansion. Under Catherine II, large-scale maps of the Empire were produced,
particularly following administrative reforms and territorial conquests.
Few paintings by Philippe Henri Coclers survive; his self-portrait is held at the Marseille Museum.
Appraiser: Stéphane Pinta – Cabinet Turquin et Associés
Lot viewable by appointment only at the appraiser’s office
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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