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198 - Charles-Joseph Natoire (1700-1777) The Bridge on the Road to…
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Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
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Description
Charles-Joseph Natoire (1700-1777) The Bridge on the Road to Vicovaro Pen, ink, watercolour and gouache on paper pasted in full on its mount 303 × 470 mm. Inscribed in old hand at bottom centre: "Sur le chemin de Vicovaro"; at bottom right: "Natoire 1760". Provenance: Perhaps Natoire, sale after death, Paris, 14 December 1778 and following days, part of n.227, part of n. 225 and part of n. 263. The set of landscape drawings by Natoire was acquired for 7030 livres by Augustin Menageot (c. 1700-1784). Bibliography: Susana Caviglia-Brunel, Charles-Joseph Natoire (1700-1777), 2012, *D. 723. This is one of a number of landscape drawings that Natoire produced during his time in Rome as Director of the Palazzo Mancini, then home to the Académie de France. Most of the artist's landscapes from this period are inscribed with an ancient script, and I feel that the proposed date can be accepted on stylistic grounds. The landscapes of the 1760s reflect an ideal of harmony between the evocation of nature, respect for antiquity and contemporary history. As in this drawing, the architecture occupies the background of the compositions and most often stretches from one side of the sheet to the other, so as to prevent the viewer's eye from moving freely towards the background, despite the openings that Natoire often provided. In the landscapes of these years, the palette was enriched by shades of pink and green introduced in still rare and light touches; the coloured supports - in this case beige - already frequent during the Parisian period, acquired a new value in the relationship with the graphic medium, particularly in the creation of delicate lighting effects. Among the figurines of the little people that inhabit Natoire's landscapes, the group on the left of this composition evokes the Holy Family, a motif found in several landscapes (for example in the drawing in Bayonne, Musée Bonnat, inv.50874). We would like to thank Susana Caviglia-Brunel for confirming the authenticity of this drawing and for writing this note.
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About the sale Classic furniture and objets d'art
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Auction time 06/18/2026 at 2:00 PM
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