6702 - Géricault, Théodore

Géricault, Théodore Album containing 5 drawings: Stable scene with three horses; Standing cow; Woman’s head in profile; Man with horse; on the reverse: Stable scene with one horse; Stable scene with two horses. 5 sheets of drawings (one of which is used on both sides), pencil, partly washed in watercolor on vellum and handmade paper, some with gold edges, each mounted at the corners onto a blue sheet of paper from an album (presumably a page from the “Violet” album). Each approx. 4.4 x 4.2 cm to 6.7 x 10.7 cm. On the back cover of the frame, various labels, stamps, and later handwritten annotations in black pen and pencil. One sheet bears the maker’s mark, the letter A. The depiction of horses plays an important role in Géricault’s work, as he created numerous equine portraits and stable scenes. Four of the five drawings are sketches by the artist, which he likely recorded in a diary during his stays at the stables near Versailles (see Bazin 1989, vol. III, pp. 12–13). His enthusiasm for equestrian sports resulted in realistic works and, ultimately, following several riding accidents, also in his death. The lower stable scene featuring two horses was executed on a sheet of scrap paper: on the reverse is the small etching *Le Passage Du Bac* by Jean Duplessis-Bertaux, based on the painting by Nicolaes Berchem in the Louvre (Inv. 1040; MR 554). Provenance: Gift from the artist to Colonel Louis Bro, Paris (1781–1844), bequeathed after his death to his son, Colonel Baron Olivier “Dominique” Bro de Comères, Paris (1813–1874), bequeathed to his wife Claire Le Page, Paris (1817–1908), following his death, bequeathed to Baron Henri Louis Bro de Comères, Paris (1863–1925), until at least 1924, presumably Adolph Wüster Art Gallery, Paris, by 1935 at the latest, Galerie Maurice Gobin, Paris (art dealer and collector, 1883–1962), Gallery Tooth & Sons, London (1939), in a private collection in Düsseldorf since at least the 1960s, in the family’s possession ever since. Exhibition: Paris, Galerie Maurice Gobin, “Exposition de Dessins, Aquarelles & Gouaches par Géricault 1791–1824,” December 5–21, 1935. Lit.: Cf. Charles Clément: “Catalogue de L’Œuvre de Géricault,” in: Extrait de la Gazette des Beaux-Arts, Paris 1866–1867, No. 162, note 1. See Charles Clément: Géricault. A Biographical and Critical Study, with the Catalogue Raisonné of the Master’s Work, Paris 1868, no. 178, note 1. Exh. Cat. Exposition de Dessins, Aquarelles & Gouaches par Géricault 1791–1824, Galerie Maurice Gobin, Paris 1935, no. 74 (“Five miscellaneous sketches (in a single frame) Formerly in the Bro de Commères Collection”). See Charles Clément/Lorenz Eitner: Géricault. Étude Biographique et Critique, avec le Catalogue Raisonné de L’Œuvre Du Maitre, Paris 1973, no. 178, note 1. - Please request condition reports for the lots, as the condition is listed in the catalog only in exceptional cases. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.