JEAN-JACQUES LEQUEU Rouen, 1757 - 1826, Paris

Les mariés de l'An II dans un parc orné de fontaines à l'antique (The bride and groom of An II in a park with antique fountains) Pen, Indian ink, gray wash and white gouache Signed and dated lower right Drawn by Jn Jque Le Queu Architet. l'an 2em delarepublique 34 x 49.5 cm (Insolate, small lacks on the edges, freckles, epidermis, tears at the top, glued on the edges) This strange drawing shows a couple at the foot of a tree in a park dotted with fountains. Dated An II, 1793/94, it falls within a fruitful but disappointing period for Lequeu. He submitted designs to five competitions in Year II, without winning any awards. The subject matter is reminiscent of the republican unions that took place at the foot of the liberty trees. The somewhat naïve image contrasts with the fantasies that sprang from his imagination. The architectural landscape, on the other hand, is reminiscent of a theatrical set. Indeed, Lequeu also experimented with theatrical scenery, as evidenced by some of the drawings preserved at the Bibliothèque Nationale (see Jean-Jacques Lequeu Bâtisseur de fantasmes exhibition catalog, edited by L.Baridon, J.P.Garric, M.Guédron, ed. B.N. de France / Norma, pp.111-113). The artist's after-death inventory mentions manuscripts of plays written by Lequeu himself. Beyond his architectural drawing practice, Lequeu was often carried away by his fertile imagination.