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45
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Henri MARTIN
See original version (French)
45
-
Henri MARTIN
See original version (French)
Estimate €60,000 - €80,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Henri MARTIN
Clémence Isaure with a lyre – 1895
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated lower right “Henri Martin / 95”
67 x 54.5 cm
Provenance: Collection of Paul Riff (1858–1929), Rennes
Collection of his daughter Pauline-Marie-Julienne Riff (1890–1978), Rennes, then passed down through the family
Auction, Rennes, Rennes Enchères, Paul Riff Collection, 1 April 2012, lot 26
Auction, London, Sotheby’s, 20 June 2018, lot 210
Ary Jan Gallery, Paris
Acquired from the gallery by the current owner on 4 February 2020
Louis Grandchamp des Raux Collection
Exhibitions: Hiroshima, Hiroshima Museum of Art; Yamanashi, Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art; Tokyo, Sompo Museum of Art; Kagoshima, Kagoshima City Museum of Art; Kyoto, Museum Eki; Kyoto, Komono, Paramita Museum, Henri Le Sidaner - Henri Martin. September 2021 – January 2023
Evian, Palais Lumière, Laren, Singer Laren, Gray, Musée Baron-Martin, Henri Martin – Henri Le Sidaner, June 2024 – October 2025, reproduced on p.192
Bibliography: L. Bénédite, “La Lyre et les Muses by Henri Martin”, in *Art et Décoration*, vol. VII, January–June 1900, Paris, Émile Lévy, pp. 1–10, reproduced on p. 1.
D. Rykner, “Cahors rallies behind Henri Martin”, in *La Tribune de l’Art*, 14 March 2012, fig. 1
*La Gazette de l’Hôtel Drouot*, no. 12, 23 March 2012, reproduced on pp. 140–141
D. Rykner, “Fifteen pre-emptive purchases by the Cahors Museum at the Henri Martin sale”, in *La Tribune de l’Art*, 2 April 2012 (mention)
Y. Farinaux-Le Sidaner, *Derniers impressionnistes – Le Temps de l’intimité*, 2018, reproduced on p. 44
This work will be included in the catalogue raisonné of Henri Martin’s works currently being prepared by Ms Marie-Anne Destrebecq-Martin.
A copy of Cyrille Martin’s certificate will be provided to the purchaser.
This work is the subject of a loan request for the exhibition *The Duhems: Artists, Collectors and Patrons – A Passion for Impressionism*, to be held in Japan in 2027–2028 at the Matsumoto City Museum of Art; the Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art; The Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki; and the Panasonic Museum of Art, Tokyo.
Oil on canvas; signed and dated lower right; 26 3/8 x 21 1/2 in.
From Academicism to Symbolism, and then to Post-Impressionism, Henri Martin followed a unique artistic path, reflecting both the major aesthetic shifts of his time and a deeply personal artistic quest.
Dated 1895, during Henri Martin’s Symbolist period, this painting depicts Clémence Isaure playing the lyre. It can be linked to the commission the painter received to decorate the Salle des Illustres in the Capitole in Toulouse. In 1892, the city council commissioned Toulouse artists to decorate this room, the design for which was to draw inspiration from the city’s history.
At the age of thirty-three, Henri Martin was entrusted with the creation of two panels and a ceiling. He decided to depict themes linked to the Compagnie du Gai Savoir, a literary society founded in 1323 in Toulouse and regarded as the forerunner of the Académie des Jeux Floraux, as well as to Clémence Isaure, a mythical figure who, from the 15th century onwards, became the personification of this institution.
The painting was one of forty-two works by Henri Martin belonging to the collector Paul Riff, which were sold at auction by his descendants in Rennes in 2012.
Henri MARTIN
67 x 54.5 cm
From Classicism to Symbolism and then to Post-Impressionism, Henri Martin followed a unique artistic path, reflecting both the major aesthetic shifts of his time and a deeply personal artistic quest.
Dating from 1895, during Henri Martin’s Symbolist period, the painting depicts Clémence Isaure holding a lyre and can be compared to the décor commissioned from the artist for the Salle des Illustres in the Capitole de Toulouse.
In 1892, the city council invited artists from Toulouse to paint the décor for the room, which was to be inspired by the city’s history. At the age of just thirty-three, Henri Martin was entrusted with the creation of two panels and a ceiling. He decided to depict scenes relating to the Compagnie du Gai Savoir, a literary society founded in 1323 in Toulouse and regarded as the forerunner of the Académie des Jeux Floraux, as well as to Clémence Isaure, a legendary figure who, from the 15th century onwards, came to personify the institution.
The painting was one of the forty-two works by Henri Martin belonging to the collector Paul Riff that were sold at auction by his descendants in Rennes in 2012.
See original version (French)
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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
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