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Pierre-Antoine DEMACHY (1723–1807)
See original version (French)
9
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Pierre-Antoine DEMACHY (1723–1807)
See original version (French)
Estimate €20,000 - €30,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Pierre-Antoine DEMACHY (1723–1807)
Neoclassical architectural caprice, possibly the interior of the Church of Sainte Geneviève
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated, lower right (date difficult to decipher, presumably): 1787
Dimensions: 210 × 151 cm
Provenance: - Possibly commissioned from the artist by Antoine, 8th Duke of Gramont (1755–1836),
- then, most likely passed down through the family to Armand, 12th Duke of Gramont (1879–1962),
- passed on to his youngest son, Count Charles de Gramont (1911–1976),
- and, by inheritance, to his daughter-in-law, where it remains to this day.
Description: This painting is, to date, the most monumental example of Demachy’s art, likely produced in the year following his appointment as professor of perspective at the Royal Academy of Painting.
This view demonstrates the artist’s mastery not only in the accuracy of his architectural depictions but also in his skillful rendering of light on carved stone.
Demachy places us in a time period that is difficult to pinpoint. Indeed, the architecture appears to be heavily inspired by the initial designs for the two major neoclassical religious monuments then under construction: the Church of La Madeleine, by Contant d’Ivry, and the Church of Sainte-Geneviève, by Soufflot. The painter was familiar with these building sites, having produced a projected view of one (Paris, Musée Carnavalet, inv. P. 85) and documented the laying of the foundation stone for the other (Paris, Musée Carnavalet, inv. P. 1931). The foreground on the right, however, disrupts the overall impression of tranquillity and balance with a mass of architectural elements that appear to have fallen, in the style of a ruin. Are we witnessing the splendour of a brand-new neoclassical church or a glorious ancient monument, recently ravaged by the ravages of time? The figures, too, add to the confusion: whilst the costumes of the three female figures at the centre of the composition suggest they are 18th-century women, the other figures are clearly classical, notably the soldier and his spear on the right.
Our painting, discovered in the collection of the heirs of Count Charles de Gramont (1911–1976), may belong to a group of works commissioned directly from the artist by the latter’s grandfather, Antoine, 8th Duke of Gramont (1755–1836). The links between the duke and the painter are attested to by a mention in the catalogue of the 1773 Salon, where Demachy exhibited, amongst other works, “a painting of architecture, adorned with figures and a shipment of animals, bathed in the light of the setting sun” and a “painting of architectural ruins”, originating “from the collection of His Grace the Duke of Grammont”.
See original version (French)
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Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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