PARIS.- After the triumph of the Gaston Delestre collection in March, Artcurial’s Old master of the 19th century art department, will organise its prestigious sale in the second half of the year, on November 14th under the hammer of auctioneer and specialist Matthieu Fournier.

Three sessions will be held on November the 14th with an overall estimate of 4 M€. The first, entitled A life of passion for old framework and gilded wood, will be devoted to the Pierre Berndt collection, a famous Geneva merchant of old frames; the second will be dedicated to the ancient and nineteenth-century Masters, with a chapter devoted to painting, led by a painting by Baudrin Yvart rediscovered, by specialists of the hous, as well as two important Dutch paintings ; and the third dedicated to sculpture in the 19th century, including 40 bronzes by Antoine-Louis Barye and a masterpiece by Alfred Boucher.

« The department continues its work of rediscovery: that of Baudrin Yvart, forgotten painter and yet first collaborator of Charles Le Brun at Vaux-le-Vicomte, of whom we are proud to present the reception piece to the Royal Academy of Painting and the one of a self-portrait of Courbet from the collection of the art historian Charles Leger. We are also pleased to present the exceptional collection of Pierre Berndt who dedicated his life to the old and ancient frames in Geneva, especially for the important collectors of Jean Bonnat to Jan Krugier. » --Matthieu Fournier, Director Old master & 19th century art, Artcurial

Ecole française :
Rediscovery of a Baudrin Yvart canvas
The École française, or French school presents a rediscovery with an ambitious composition by Baudrin (1611 - 1690), which is an opportunity to highlight an artist who has been forgotten but who was one of the major actors in Louis XIV’artistic policy. Baudrin Yvart was the right arm of Charles Le Brun throughout his career and worked with him on all the major construction sites, from Vaux le Vicomte to Versailles, passing by the Gobelins tapestry factory. This allegory to the glory of the Sun King is his reception piece at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture on 11 of August 1663, all trace of which had been lost since the revolution. The Sculpture Working on the bust of Louis XIV, large format canvas, is estimated €80,000-100,000/ $88,000 – 132,000.

Another formidable rediscovery, was that of an Autoportait of Gustave Courbet, from the collection of the art historian Charles Léger, and preciously preserved by his descendants to the present day. Charles Léger (1880-1948) devoted several works to Courbet. It is one of the many self-portraits of the artist, who like the great masters, liked to represent himself in different aspects throughout his career. This work is estimated at $80,000-120,000 / $88,000 – 132,000.

A great portraitist of her time, Queen Marie Antoinette’s official painter, the work of Elisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun (Paris, 1755 - 1842), was the subject of a first retrospective in 2016, of a major pictorial work, at the Grand palais in Paris, then in New York and Ottowa. The sale presents a painting by the artist, Portrait of a child in love, oval format, estimated €40,000-60,000 / $44,000 – 66,000.

Majestic Flemish Painting
Flemish painting will be honoured with two important Antwerp paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries.

The joy of a Marten van Cleve village fair (1527-1581) takes us on a journey through sixteenth century Flanders, with one of the scenes behind the success of Flemish painting. Marten van Cleve was one of the principal painters active in Antwerp in the sixteenth century alongside the elder Pietyer Brueghel, his contemporary. His compositions and genre scenes depicting village fairs, landscapes and biblical scenes are close to those of the founder of the Brueghel dynasty, especially through their acute sense of reality.

Marten van Cleve brings a precise touch and a warm palette of his own. Painted on a panel, this Village fair is estimated at 350,000-450,000 € / 385,000 – 495,000 $. Some of the Marten van Cleve compositions influenced the work of the younger Pieter Brueghel.

The Fishmonger’s stall, large size oil on canvas, by Frans Snyders (1579 - 1657), One of the artist’s most brilliantly successful fish markets, belonged most probably to the Marquise de Pompadour (estimate: €350,000-450,000/ $385,000 – 495,000). The catalogue of the sale after the death of the Marquise mentions two paintings of identical formats: this would be our painting and its counterpart, which were only separated in 1987. The latter, L’étal du marchand de gibier, was purchased by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art collection in 2014 after authentication by Hella Robels confirming it as an authentic work by Frans Snyders. A version of this Marché aux poissons, bought by Catherine II in 1772 during the sale of the Crozat collection, is now kept in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. Frans Snyders was a pupil of Peter Brueghel II studio since the age of 14, Master by the age of 23, Frans Snyders specialises in still life and his reputation grew very quickly, so much so that Rubens asks him to collaborate in some of his works between 1611 and 1616. He became one of the most important and recognised painters of his time, receiving many prestigious commissions. This notoriety can be seen in the portrait done of him by Anton van Dyck (New York, Frick Collection).

L'étal du poissonnier concentrates Snyders the talent and virtuosity. A balanced composition, brilliant colours, with perfect, precise technique and attention to minute detail to the point of being almost scientific, showing an extraordinary vision of marine life.

The section on Dutch painting also includes a masterpiece of balance and sobriety by Jan Davidsz de Heem (1606 - 1684), Basket of fuit and lemon on an entablature -Panier de fruits et citron sur un entablement, oil on oak panel, estimated 80,000-120,000 € / 88,000 – 132,000 $. This great master of still life of the Golden Age was active between Leyden, antwerp and Utrecht. His works are present in the world’s greatest museums, from the Louvre in Paris, through to the Mauritshuis de La Hague, The Hermitage in Saint Petersbourg and the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

19th century sculptures: a masterpiece by Alfred Boucher and 40 Barye bronzes
The sale dedicated to sculpture in the 19th century reveals a superb white marble by Alfred Boucher (1850 - 1934), Volubilis, (estimate: €80,000-120,000 /$ 88,000 – 132,000 ). If the sculptor approaches the most diverse themes during his brilliant career, he prefers poetic subjects, associating nature, feminine nudes end mythology as the Volubilis series. Alfred Boucher was crowned with the Grand Sculpture prize of the Universal Exposition in 1900. He created the Paul-Dubois-Alfred Boucher Museum, which housed many of his works in Nogent-sur-Marne en 1902, and later became the Camille Claudel museum in 2017.

An important collection of forty bronzes by Antoine-Louis Barye (1795- 1875), from the collection of a couple of Parisian amateurs who collected them passionately for nearly 30 years, follows. The pieces come from the artist’s studio; these are very high-quality fonts, most of them old. To cite Ours fuyant des chiens, bronze with brown patina, age tested, circa 1860 (estimate: €30,000-50,000 / $33,000 – 55,000).

A selection of terra cotta by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, plaster by Jean Carriès and 7 bronze busts from the Parlementarians series by Honoré Daumier, from the Jean-Claude Romand collection, complete the section devoted to 19th century sculpture.