11 - Pierre-Antoine DEMACHY (1723–1807)

Pierre-Antoine DEMACHY (1723–1807) Neoclassical architectural caprice, possibly the interior of the Church of Sainte Geneviève Oil on canvas Signed and dated, lower right (date difficult to decipher, presumably): 1787 Dimensions: 210 × 151 cm Provenance: - Possibly commissioned from the artist by Antoine, 8th Duke of Gramont (1755–1836), - then, most likely passed down through the family to Armand, 12th Duke of Gramont (1879–1962), - bequeathed to his youngest son, Count Charles de Gramont (1911–1976), - and, by inheritance, to his daughter-in-law, where it remains today. Description: This painting is currently the most monumental example of Demachy’s art, likely created the year following his appointment as professor of perspective at the Royal Academy of Painting. This view demonstrates the artist’s mastery not only in the accuracy of his architectural depictions but also in his skillful rendering of light on carved stone. Demachy places us in a time period that is difficult to pinpoint. Indeed, the architecture appears to be heavily inspired by the initial designs of two major neoclassical religious monuments then under construction: the Church of La Madeleine, by Contant d’Ivry, and the Church of Sainte-Geneviève, by Soufflot. The painter was familiar with these construction sites, having produced a projected view of one (Paris, Musée Carnavalet, inv. P. 85) and documented the laying of the cornerstone of the other (Paris, Musée Carnavalet, inv. P. 1931). The foreground on the right, however, disrupts the overall impression of tranquility and balance with a mass of architectural elements that appear to have fallen, in the style of a ruin. Are we witnessing the glory of a brand-new neoclassical church or a glorious ancient monument recently ravaged by the ravages of time? The figures, too, add to the confusion: while the costumes of the three female figures in the center of the composition suggest they are 18th-century women, the other figures are clearly classical, notably the soldier with his spear on the right. Our painting, discovered among the heirs of Count Charles de Gramont (1911–1976), may belong to a group of works commissioned directly from the artist by the count’s grandfather, Antoine, 8th Duke of Gramont (1755–1836). The connection between the duke and the painter is attested to by a mention in the catalog of the 1773 Salon, where Demachy exhibited, among other works, “an architectural painting, adorned with figures and a shipment of animals, bathed in the light of the setting sun” and a “painting of architectural ruins,” both from “the collection of His Grace the Duke of Grammont.”