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44 - Henri FANTIN-LATOUR (1836–1904)
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Estimate €15,000 - €20,000
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Description
Henri FANTIN-LATOUR (1836–1904) *The Embarkation for Cythera*, after Antoine Watteau – 1869 Oil on paper mounted on canvas Signed lower right ‘Fantin’ 21.5 x 33.5 cm Provenance: Collection of Alfred Pacquement (1872–1948) or Charles Pacquement (1871–1950), Paris, 1911 Ochsé Collection (possibly Robert Lucien Willy Ochsé (1972–1952) or Fernand Ochsé (1879–1944)), Paris, 1936  Auction, Paris, Pierre Bergé & Associés, 25 November 2015, lot 103 Auction, Paris, Artcurial, 18 October 2016, lot 1 Acquired at this auction by the current owner Louis Grandchamp des Raux Collection Exhibitions: Paris, Palais de l’École nationale des Beaux-Arts, Exhibition of the works of Fantin-Latour, May–June 1906, no. 137, p. 51 Grenoble, Musée Bibliothèque, Henri Fantin-Latour Centenary, August–October 1936, no. 190, p. 37 Bibliography: V. Dubourg, Catalogue of the Complete Works of Fantin-Latour 1849–1904, Paris, Henri Floury, 1911, no. 405, p. 54 É. Michel, R. Aulanier, H. de Vallée, Watteau: The Embarkation for the Island of Cythera, Tours, Editions des musées nationaux, Tours, 1939, plate XVIII, fig. 60 H. Adhémar, *The Embarkation for the Island of Cythera*: Watteau, *Le musée des chefs-d’œuvre*, Vendôme, Paris, 1947, cited on p. 20 in the exhibition catalogue *Fantin-Latour*, Paris, National Galleries of the Grand Palais, Ottawa, National Gallery of Canada, San Francisco, California Palace of the Legion of Honour, 1982–1983, cited on p. 158 in the exhibition catalogue, “Watteau, 1684–1721”, Washington, National Gallery of Art, Paris, National Galleries of the Grand Palais, Berlin, Charlottenburg Palace, 1984–1985, cited on p. 401 in exhibition catalogue, “Copying, Creating: From Turner to Picasso – 300 Works Inspired by the Masters of the Louvre”, Paris, Musée du Louvre, 1993, cited on p. 228 P. Michel, C. Ming Peng, F. Robichon, *Fortune and Misfortune of a Master: Watteau and his Reception*, Institut de recherches historiques du Septentrion, Lille, 2023, fig. 60, p. 105 Oil on paper mounted on canvas, signed lower right; 8 1/2 x 13 1/4 in. Watteau’s masterpiece, *The Embarkation for Cythera*, is a seminal 18th-century painting whose image is familiar to a wide audience. It is this distinguished work that inspired Henri Fantin-Latour here; he enjoyed copying the works of the old masters at the Louvre, such as Raphael, Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin, Watteau, Géricault, Delacroix and so many others. Among these, it is his paintings based on the Venetians – Titian and Veronese – that attract the most admiration. He thus reproduced *The Wedding at Cana* (Paris, Musée du Louvre, no. INV 142) as many as ten times. A source of lucrative commissions, his work as a copyist – which he genuinely regarded as an act of devotion to his predecessors – also helped his ideas to mature and fuelled his desire to create masterpieces of his own. Fantin-Latour’s name first appears in the museum’s records in 1852, when he registered to copy Titian’s *Portrait of Francis I* (Paris, Louvre Museum). Until 1870, he continued these long hours of work at the museum, which he was particularly fond of, and it was there that he met Victoria Dubourg, his future wife. In the catalogue raisonné of Fantin-Latour’s work compiled in 1911, his wife Victoria Dubourg lists a total of one hundred and seventeen copies of paintings from the Louvre. Two photographs taken in Fantin-Latour’s studio at 8 Rue des Beaux-Arts in Paris show our painting hanging on the wall.¹ The work is also mentioned by Charles Saunier, who describes the studio as ‘low-ceilinged, narrow, not very well lit […] devoid of knick-knacks, with walls lined with copies after Veronese, Tintoretto, Delacroix and Watteau. In particular, there was an unforgettable interpretation of *The Embarkation for Cythera*’2. The painting remained in the artist’s possession until his death in 1904 and featured in his retrospective in 1906, before being exhibited at the Fantin-Latour centenary in Grenoble in 1936. It was probably after the 1906 exhibition that Alfred or Charles Pacquement acquired the work.³ 1. See also Paul Cardon, Portrait of Ignace Henri Jean Théodore Fantin-Latour, known as Henri Fantin-Latour (1836–1904), painter and lithographer, in his studio, between 1875 and 1904, albumen print, H. 25.40; W. 20.50 cm, Paris, Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris, inv. PH8823. The painting appears in the centre left. 2. Charles Saunier, ‘Les domiciles de Fantin-Latour’, in *Bulletin VIII – Société historique du VIe arrondissement de Paris*, 1905, vol. I, p. 78. 3. Victoria Dubourg states in the 1911 catalogue that it now belongs to ‘Mr Pacquement’. Henri FANTIN-LATOUR (1836–1904) 21.5 x 33.5 cm Watteau’s masterpiece, *L’Embarquement pour Cythère*, is a seminal 18th-century painting whose image is widely recognised. It was this extraordinary work that inspired Henri Fantin-Latour, who enjoyed copying, in the Louvre, the works of Old Masters such as Raphael, Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin, Watteau, Géricault, Delacroix and many others. Among his paintings based on the Venetians, Titian and Veronese were the most admired. He reproduced *The Wedding at Cana* (Paris, Musée du Louvre, no. INV 142) as many as ten times. Whilst his work as a copyist – something he regarded as an act of devotion to his predecessors – led to lucrative commissions, it also fostered the development of his ideas and fuelled his desire to create masterpieces of his own. The name Fantin-Latour first appears in the museum’s records in 1852, when he registered to copy Titian’s *Portrait of François I* (Paris, Musée du Louvre). Until 1870, he spent many long hours working in the museum, which he was particularly fond of, and it was there that he first met Victoria Dubourg, his future wife. In the catalogue raisonné of Fantin-Latour, compiled in 1911, Victoria Dubourg recorded a total of one hundred and seventeen copies of paintings in the Louvre. Two photographs taken in Fantin-Latour’s studio, at 8 Rue des Beaux-Arts in Paris, show the present painting hanging on the wall (1). The work is also mentioned by Charles Saunier, who described the studio as “low-ceilinged, narrow, poorly lit… without ornaments and with walls adorned by copies after Veronese, Tintoretto, Delacroix and Watteau. Notably, there was an interpretation of ‘L’Embarquement pour Cythère’, which was unforgettable” (2). The painting remained in the artist’s possession until his death in 1904 and was exhibited in his retrospective in 1906, then shown at the Fantin-Latour centenary exhibition in Grenoble in 1936. It was probably after the 1906 exhibition that Alfred or Charles Pacquement acquired it. (3)     1. See Paul Cardon, Portrait of Ignace Henri Jean Théodore Fantin-Latour, known as Henri Fantin-Latour (1836–1904), painter and lithographer, in his studio, between 1875 and 1904, albumen print 25.40 x 20.50 cm, Paris, Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris, inv. PH8823. The painting can be seen in the centre left. 2. Charles Saunier, ‘Les domiciles de Fantin-Latour’, in Bulletin VIII – Société historique du VIe arrondissement de Paris, 1905, vol. I, p. 78. 3. Victoria Dubourg, in the 1911 catalogue, mentions that the painting now belonged to ‘M. Pacquement’.
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About the sale The Louis Grandchamp des Raux Collection
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Auction time 10/24/2026 at 4:00 PM
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