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François Louis Joseph WATTEAU DE LILLE (1758-1823)
Study for…
See original version (French)
133
-
François Louis Joseph WATTEAU DE LILLE (1758-1823)
Study for…
See original version (French)
Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
Voluntary lot
Description
François Louis Joseph WATTEAU DE LILLE (1758-1823)
Study for the Death of Montcalm, c.1782
Ink and wash on paper
H_47,9 cm W_60,9 cm
Our drawing, with its many differences, is a preparatory study for the drawing composed by François Louis Joseph Watteau in 1782 and engraved in 1783 by Juste Chevillet.
This ambitious composition, the final drawing of which is kept at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, represents a decisive moment in the war for possession of Canada, an extension of the 7 Years' War then raging in Europe.
The Marquis de Montcalm, sent to defend French interests in Canada, died bravely defending Quebec on 14 September 1759. Watteau's inspiration for this drawing came from William Woollett's engraving of Benjamin West's The Death of General Wolfe. It was probably to counterbalance this patriotic English composition that Watteau sought to position his drawing. The engraver added a palm tree at the foot of the Marquis's tent, and two Amerindians in the foreground, in a bid for exoticism, recalling the still highly exotic vision of North America at the end of the 18th century. Our study highlights the changes made before the wash and before the engraving.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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