a clock that is sitting on top of a table
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177 - Altarpiece comprising a painting on lapis lazuli within an a…
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Estimate €12,000 - €15,000
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Description
Altarpiece comprising a painting on lapis lazuli within an architecturally styled frame. “Christ and the Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s Well” Oil on lapis lazuli. Rome, attributed to Antonio Tempesta (Florence, 1555 – Rome, 1650), first third of the 17th century Visible height: 13.1 cm – Visible width: 9.5 cm Frame in ebony veneer, semi-precious stones and marbles (Sicilian jasper, breccias, alabaster, lapis lazuli, etc.), tortoiseshell, mouldings, gilded bronze vases and feet, chiselled silver Corinthian capitals, resting on its original plinth. Height: 56 cm – Width: 35 cm. (The four cabochons surrounding the central painting have been replaced by painted imitations of lapis lazuli. There are a few missing pieces to note, and some slight wear to the central painting Handwritten note on the reverse: In 1609, this cabinet formed part of the collection of Antoine Agard, a goldsmith and antiquarian in Arles, who published a catalogue of it under the title *Discours et roole des médailles et antiquitez etc* (Paris, 1611); the catalogue is dedicated to the famous President du Vair, then First President of the Parliament of Aix. Our cabinet is listed there alongside three others on a table inlaid with engraved stones One of Antoine’s descendants, Trophisme Agard, who was based in Paris, is described in a document from 1673 as the Queen’s master goldsmith Another Antoine Agard, the last of the Arles branch, ran an apothecary’s shop in 1685. Next to Barbegal, he owned the Agard farmhouse, which later became the property of the Arnaud Yvaren family. It is from this family, to which we are related, that I have acquired this cabinet, which they had no doubt found at the Agard farmhouse along with other household items belonging to the Agards. It was kindly presented to me by the heirs of Mr Louis Arnaud Yvaren in the year 1900. Provenance: probably from the former collection of Mr Louis Arnaud Yvaren, Arles Antoine Agard was a goldsmith and antiquarian from Arles active in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, regarded as one of the first collectors of antiquities in France. In Arles, he assembled a significant cabinet of curiosities comprising antique objects, medals, engraved stones, sculptures and natural curiosities. Keen to publicise his collection, in 1611 he published *Discours et roole des médailles et autres antiquitez*, a work now regarded as one of the very first printed catalogues of a cabinet of curiosities in France. However, no explicit mention of this hardstone altarpiece appears in this publication. The hypothesis of a link between the Agard and Yvaren families nevertheless seems plausible, given that both owned farmhouses situated near Fontvieille – the Agard farmhouse for one, the Yvaren farmhouse for the other. This geographical proximity could thus support the hypothesis put forward by the author of the note, according to which Yvaren acquired the painting from the descendants of Antoine Agard. Here we clearly recognise the style of Tempesta, the master of stone painting, in the animated poses of the figures, the vivid colours of the costumes and their delicate pleats, as well as the judicious use of the precious stone. The Roman style of the frame, dating from the first half of the 17th century, is reinforced by the presence of an ancient sarcophagus which the painter has depicted in front of the well, between the Samaritan woman and Christ. Sources consulted: - A. Agard, Discourse and catalogue of medals and other antiquities, whether in gemstones, engravings or reliefs, and other marvellous natural stones, several ancient bronze figures and statues, along with other Egyptian-style terracotta statues, and several rare antiquities which have been collected and are now housed in the cabinet of Monsieur Antoine Agard, master goldsmith and antiquarian of the city of Arles in Provence, Paris, 1611. - Edited by M. Bona Castellotti, *Pietra Dipinta*, Milan, 2000, cat. 52, p. 100. - M. Chiarini and C. Acidini Luchinat, *Bizarrerie di pietre dipinte dalle collezioni dei Medici*, ed. Silvana Editoriale, 2000, cat. 17, pp. 78 and 79. - D. Trébosc, Antoine Agard, Discours et roole des médailles et autres aintiquitez… (1611), Catalogue of the cabinet of curiosities of a goldsmith and ‘antiquarian’ from Arles at the end of the Renaissance, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2007. Expert: Cabinet Fligny, Paris.
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About the sale Glassware, Silverware, Works of art, Paintings, Furniture
Auction location
Auction time 07/16/2026 at 10:00 AM
Lot description modified on 07/13/2026 at 11:32 AM
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