8 - CORRECTION TO THE CATALOG

CORRECTION TO THE CATALOG [COLLECTION OF 16TH-CENTURY COURT PORTRAITS IN PENCIL]. A collection of forty portraits of figures from the entourage of Francis I, executed around 1535–1540, on loose sheets inserted into a folio-sized (308 x 190 mm) album of white paper. Dimensions of the drawings: approximately 280 x 190 mm. Bound in the 17th century in brown half-basane, with gilt edges. Preserved in a red half-maroquin slipcase with flaps, in a case. EXTREMELY RARE COLLECTION OF PORTRAITS OF COURT FIGURES AND MEMBERS OF FRANÇOIS I’S ENTOURAGE, EXECUTED AT THE TIME IN BLACK CHALK AND RED CHALK. Since Dimier’s work (History of Portrait Painting in France in the 16th Century, 1926), we have known the major role played by the Clouets, father and son, in the development of portraiture in France during the reign of Francis I—a role attested to in particular by the famous collection of 360 pencil drawings by Jean and François Clouet preserved at Chantilly. These pencil portraits, drawn from life by the master, served as the basis for the oil portraits subsequently executed in the studio. The considerable popularity of these court portraits beginning in the 1520s led to the emergence of secondary collections, based on the originals, which in turn were used by painters to execute the numerous portraits commissioned—including paintings, miniatures, and enamels… Of these collections of copies, Dimier has cataloged and described in detail nineteen surviving examples, which are all that remain of a body of work that, according to the author, “must have been considerable.” The present collection, No. 5 on his list in chronological order of creation, is apparently the only one—or one of only two—still in private hands. Known as the “Orange Collection” after the legendary inscription on the label on the back of the binding —Teeken (ingen) dor W(illem) de II prins v(an) Orany (en), meaning “Drawings by William II, Prince of Orange”—it is said, according to another tradition, to have come from the collections of Charles I of England. Far more plausible is the ink inscription on a loose leaf at the beginning of the album, which states that it was offered for sale at the auction of Henrik Tersmitten’s collection on September 23, 1751, in Amsterdam, along with the catalog number that attributed the drawings to Hans Holbein—a common error at the time. After making its way to England, the volume was owned in the 18th century by the great collector John Towneley (1697–1782), then in the following century by J.-P. Heseltine, in whose possession it was in 1924. At that time, it contained 42 pieces. “The drawings in this collection are loose sheets, inserted between pages of white paper. Thus, neither their number nor the order in which they are arranged can be guaranteed to be as old as the binding itself. Moreover, the markings on the backs of these drawings indicate that they were once arranged in a different order. I would have followed this original order in the catalog, were it not for the fact that the absence of markings on the backs of several drawings prevents me from reconstructing it perfectly […] The typeface is the same as in the Cabinet collection.¹ The same figures appear from one collection to another with greater consistency than elsewhere. The presence of the four Giés, that of the Provost of Paris, and that of M. de Penthièvre are unique to these collections. As for the date, everything that has been said about the Cabinet collection must be repeated here. “The Orange collection ranks highly from an iconographic standpoint. The letters are authentic, and among the figures we find Monsieur and Madame de Vascay, who are unique. Also unique is number 26, whose name, unfortunately, is not given in any of the letters” (Dimier). According to art historian Etienne Moreau-Nélaton, who examined the collection in 1924 at J.-P. Heseltine’s, “it is likely that at that time [during the Tersmitten sale in the 17th century] the drawings were integral to the binding. In their current state, they are loose sheets incorporated into a book to which they are not attached. The reverse side of some is stained by smudges caused by friction from neighboring sheets, and I surmise that their separation from the binding was intended to halt their deterioration” (Les Clouet et leurs émules). Binding is heavily worn; the leather on the spine is missing. Restoration with a small missing section in the letter (no. 7). Letter cut out but still present (nos. 12 and 14). Letter missing (no. 26). Damage to the letter (nos. 29, 33, 40). Minor restoration (nos. 35, 40). A few foxing spots and stains. CORRECTION TO THE CATALOG: Lower front cover of the binding is detached. Label with the ink inscription “QQQQ” on the front cover of the binding. Ex-libris of John Towneley and John Posgle Heseltine.