FR EN
1 / 6
a painting of a young girl in a blue dress with a yellow backgrounda painting of a young boy with a blue shirt and yellow backgroundportrait of a young girl in a blue dress in a gold framea picture of a piece of paper with a picture of a map on ita picture of a picture of a picture of a picture of a picture of a picture of a picture of a picture of a picture of a picture of a picturea sculpture of a man standing in a room with a painting on the wall
Premium Artcurial

15 - Lucien LÉVY-DHURMER (1865–1953)
See original version (French)

Estimate €20,000 - €30,000
Sale commission
Description
Lucien LÉVY-DHURMER (1865–1953) Portrait of Anne Caroline Jeanne Massier – 1890 Pastel and gold paint on paper Signed and dated top right “Lucien/Lévy/90” 38.5 x 35.5 cm Provenance: Probably the collection of Clément Massier (1844–1917), Golfe-Juan Maurice Turpin Gallery (1928–2005), London, 1990  Auction, Vienna, Im Kinsky, 19 October 2016, lot 958 Galerie de Bayser, Paris Acquired from the gallery by the current owner on 15 November 2017 Louis Grandchamp des Raux Collection Exhibitions: London, Maurice Turpin Antiques, ‘Works on Paper’, November–December 1990 Paris, Galerie de Bayser, ‘Fine Arts Paris’, November 2017, no. 29, illustrated Bibliography: *L’Estampille l’Objet d’art*, November 2017, reproduced on p. 76 Pastel and metallic gold medium on paper, signed and dated upper right; 15 1/8 x 14 in. The Symbolist painter Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer was just twenty-five years old when he signed this pastel. This moving early work was produced before his career as a portraitist shifted towards a more worldly and prolific output in the late 1890s. A master of the pastel, Lévy-Dhurmer vigorously exploits the possibilities of this medium to capture fleeting impressions and shifting light. The golden background, created by applying a gold mixture, isolates the subject in an ideal, almost sacred, luminous space, and lends her a timeless quality that enhances her poetic power. This gold background, along with the child’s pose, reflects Lévy-Dhurmer’s interest in Italian Renaissance art: this austere profile immediately brings to mind the portraits of Pisanello or Piero della Francesca. The shape of this gold background also evokes another world dear to the artist: that of ceramics. Its surface is reminiscent of enamel that has finely crackled after firing, or of the ceramic tesserae that form mosaics – a formal detail that has led us to formulate a new hypothesis regarding the identity of the model. In 1890, the year the pastel was executed, Lucien Lévy was working alongside Clément Massier (1844–1917) at his famous ceramics workshop in Golfe-Juan, near Vallauris. Having been with the workshop since 1887, Lévy-Dhurmer became its director of artistic works five years later. Together, they produced experimental pieces, including vases inspired in particular by Islamic and Hispano-Moorish ceramics. We believe that he has depicted Clément Massier’s daughter, Anne Caroline Jeanne, who was nine years old at the time (as she was born on 20 August 1881). Another pastel of similar size and technique, also signed and dated 1890, forms an interesting counterpart to our work: it depicts a young girl against a gilded background very similar to that which appears in our pastel¹.Although it was described as an anonymous portrait when it last appeared at auction in 2015, it should be identified as Marie Elisabeth Delphine Louise, Clément Massier’s beloved daughter, who was thirteen years old in 1890 and appears here as a First Communicant. The pairing of these two works makes the context of their creation fascinating and renders our pastel an intimate piece, reflecting the deep friendship that bound the two men.   1. Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer, Portrait of a Young Woman in a Bust, Left Profile, 1890, pastel and gold, signed and dated top right: ‘Lucien Lévy 90’, H. 38; W. 30 cm, current location unknown (auction in Paris, Tajan, 13 May 2015, lot no. 147; formerly in the Clément Massier collection, label on the reverse no. 350) Lucien LÉVY-DHURMER (1865–1953) 38.5 x 35.5 cm The Symbolist painter Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer was only twenty-five when he created this pastel. This touching early work was produced before his career as a portraitist shifted towards a more commercial and prolific output in the late 1890s. A master of pastels, Lévy-Dhurmer makes full use of the medium’s potential to capture fleeting impressions and shifting light. A golden background sets the subject apart in an idealised, luminous space, almost sacred, lending the portrait a timeless quality that enhances the work’s poetic power. This gold background and the child’s pose reflect Lévy-Dhurmer’s interest in the art of the Italian Renaissance, and this strict profile immediately brings to mind the portraits of Pisanello or Piero della Francesca. The textured quality of the gilded background also evokes another realm dear to the artist: that of ceramics. Its surface recalls the delicate cracking of enamel after firing, or the ceramic tesserae found in mosaics – a detail that led us to formulate a new hypothesis regarding the identity of the model. In 1890, the year this pastel was created, Lévy-Dhurmer was working alongside Clément Massier (1844–1917) at his famous ceramics workshop in Golfe-Juan, near Vallauris. Having been part of Massier’s workshop since 1887, Lévy-Dhurmer became its artistic director five years later. Together, they produced experimental pieces, including vases inspired by Islamic and Hispano-Moorish ceramics. We believe that the figure depicted is Clément Massier’s daughter, Anne Caroline Jeanne, born on 20 August 1881, shown here aged nine. Another pastel of a similar format and technique, also signed and dated 1890, forms an interesting pair with the present work: it depicts a young girl against a gold background very similar to that in our pastel (1). Although it was described as an anonymous portrait when it last appeared at auction in 2015, it is likely to be Marie Elisabeth Delphine Louise, Clément Massier’s beloved daughter, who was thirteen years old in 1890 and is depicted here having celebrated her First Holy Communion. The pairing of these two works makes the context of their creation all the more fascinating and transforms our pastel into an intimate piece, reflecting the deep friendship between the two men. 1. Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer, Portrait of a Young Woman in a Bust, Left Profile, 1890, pastel and gold, signed and dated upper right: ‘Lucien Lévy 90’, 38 x 30 cm, current whereabouts unknown (auction, Paris, Tajan, 13 May 2015, lot no. 147; previously in the Clément Massier collection, label on the reverse no. 350)
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale The Louis Grandchamp des Raux Collection
Auction location
Auction time 10/24/2026 at 4:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like