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Premium Maître Paul PASTAUD

356 - Oceania – ARMAND (Léon). [Views of Tahiti], The Government. …
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Estimate €1,100 - €1,200
Sale commission
Description
Oceania – ARMAND (Léon). [Views of Tahiti], The Government. The Bay of [A]aonoa [Tahiti], (c. 1861). 10.8 x 16 cm (The Government) and 16 x 21.4 cm (The Bay), pencil and highlights in white gouache on paper, signed lower left (for The Government), title in pencil beneath each view, bevelled corners, mounted under glass, blue passe-partout, gilded frames (modern framing). Rare and valuable records of the history of Tahiti in the mid-19th century. A clerk in the Imperial Navy, Léon Armand took part in 1861 in an official tour of the Polynesian islands organised by the Governor of Tahiti, Gaultier de La Richerie. A draughtsman, watercolourist and lithographer, he produced a remarkable collection of views of Tahiti, part of which is now preserved in the island’s heritage collections. The Government depicts the Protestant church in Papeete circa 1860–1861. Beyond its apparent simplicity, this view is a valuable historical record: before the construction of the fare apoo-raa, the seat of the Legislative Assembly, the church served temporarily as the seat of the Tahitian government. It illustrates the major role played by Protestantism in local society under the French Protectorate (1843–1880). The Bay of [A]aonoa (by the sea), rendered in a freer, more blurred style, depicts a landscape still largely untouched by European influence. Given its spontaneous nature, it may be regarded as a preparatory sketch, although this hypothesis cannot be confirmed in the absence of a catalogue raisonné.
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About the sale MONTIGNAC – 31st BOOK SALE – Day 1 of 4 – Nos. 1 to 549
Auction location
Auction time 08/19/2026 at 11:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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