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an image of a drawing of a group of people in a rooma piece of paper with writing on it sitting on top of a table
Premium DE BAECQUE et Associés - Lyon

410 - Rodolphe BRESDIN (1822–1885)
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Estimate €3,000 - €4,000
Sale commission
Description
Rodolphe BRESDIN (1822–1885) The Moldavian Guard Study drawing for the engraving ‘The Inn’, also known as ‘Hunting Rendezvous’ or ‘Moldavian Guard’ (Bouvenne, no. 31; Van Gelder, VG 129). Pen and India ink on off-white paper, mounted on card. Bears the artist’s inverted monogram within the composition on the mantelpiece, to the right of the painting of Saint Hubert. H. 15 cm - W. 17.5 cm (cardboard: H. 24 cm – W. 26.5 cm) ANC Pinholes in the margins of the mount. Executed in the opposite direction to the engraving, this study reflects a phase of compositional exploration. Several sections remain deliberately sketched, whilst the scene shows significant variations compared with the final print, particularly in its horizontal development. The reverse of the mount bears an old handwritten annotation in pencil: ‘Vente Chausson. 1933 – 16 December / Avril Marcel 480 f / 900 f in the Godefroy catalogue no. 523’, the figures presumably corresponding to the hammer price (480 francs) and the estimate given in the catalogue (900 francs). This inscription confirms the provenance of the sheet, which was described in detail by the experts Louis Godefroy and Lucien Huteau in the catalogue for the dispersal of the Ernest Chausson collection (Paris, Nouvelle Galerie Simonson, 16 December 1933, lot 523): ‘The Moldavian Guard. Study for the engraving (Bouvenne 31). An interesting study as a counterpart to the print, and partially unfinished. The composition is explored in width and features significant variations. Pen and ink drawing on off-white paper. Signed with the monogram on the chimney cowl, to the right of the painting of Saint Hubert. Reproduced in the journal *Art Work*, Winter 1931 issue. ’ This study belongs to an extremely limited body of known drawings relating to the composition of the engraving. Our sheet may be compared with the drawing ‘Départ pour la chasse’ (Departure for the Hunt), held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (inv. 51.504.27), pen and black ink on paper, 16 × 11.1 cm, which develops several similar motifs in a markedly different vertical composition. Also worth noting is the drawing ‘L’Auberge fantastique’, pen and Indian ink on tracing paper, 16.2 × 10.8 cm, signed and dated ‘Bresdin / Caillou / 1869’ and bearing the artist’s inverted monogram, which was sold at Artcurial on 26 March 2014. Although very similar in inspiration, it constitutes a distinct variation on the present composition. Taken together, these drawings illustrate Bresdin’s successive explorations of this subject and highlight the richness of his creative process, although it is not possible today to establish their chronology with certainty. Provenance: Ernest Chausson and others sale, 16 December 1933, lot 523 Marcel Avril Collection, father of the painter Armand Avril. Subsequently by inheritance Bibliography: Émile Bouvenne, Catalogue of the Engraved Works of Rodolphe Bresdin, no. 31. Louis Godefroy and Lucien Huteau. Catalogue of Engravings, Drawings, Albums and Art Books from the Ernest Chausson Collection and Various Collectors. Paris, Nouvelle Galerie Simonson, 16 December 1933 Jan van Gelder, The Complete Etched Work of Rodolphe Bresdin, no. VG 129.
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About the sale ANTIQUE AND MODERN PAINTINGS
Auction location
Auction time 09/28/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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