L’Émigration des bison, a large pastel by Rosa Bonheur, estimated €100,000-150,000 at Christie's Paris.
Image: Christies Images 2024
Christie’s Paris rooms times its annual sale of Old Master and 19th century drawings to coincide with the Salon de Dessin, while Artcurial always holds an Old Master and 19th century art sale that includes a selection of drawings at this time. And there are also numerous drawings-related auctions being staged at the Hôtel Drouot auction centre.
Pictured here is a small taste of what will be going under the hammer in the later part of March.
Rosa Bonheur's bisons
Many drawings tend to be preparatory studies and Christie’s dedicated Old Master and 19th century drawings sale on March 20 will feature a number of these.
One of them will be a large and detailed pastel by the French female animalier artist Rosa Bonheur (1822-99) who has been the subject of a recent retrospective at the Musée d’Orsay. Bonheur was fascinated by the American west and in 1889 made the acquaintance of Buffalo Bill at a Wild West Show held at Neuilly on the edge of Paris.
In preparation for a painting representing l’Émigration des bisons she made this large pastel measuring 22in x 3ft 1in (57 x 94cm). It is signed and dated 1896 and is an unpublished work that has been in the same French family for several generations.
Estimate €100,000-150,000.
Bark, shell and flint, a pastel and pencil work by Charles-Edouard Jenneret, Le Corbusier, estimated €10,000-15,000 at Ader.
Ten works on paper by the artist and architect Charles-Edouard Jenneret, Le Corbusier, (1807-1965) in a variety of mediums such as pastel, gouache, watercolour, chalk and collage, feature in the drawings sale to be held at Drouot by Ader on March 22. Pictured here is one of them, Bark, shell and flint, a pastel and pencil work of c.1930-37 measuring 8½ x 12¼in (21.5 x 31cm). It has an estimate of €10,000-15,000.
Pen over chalk study featuring three bust length portraits of lawyers by Honoré Daumier, estimated €12,000-18,000 at Ferri.
Image copyright: Ferri/Drouot
Studies of members of the legal profession were a popular subject for the artist Honoré Daumier (1808-79) and among the works on paper section of the sale to be held at Drouot by Ferri on March 22 will be this 4¾ x 8in (12 x 20cm) pen over chalk study featuring three bust length portraits of lawyers. The work, which is monogrammed lower left, has a provenance to the collections of Ambroise Vollard, A Soullier, then Marcel Lecomte and is estimated at €12,000-18,000.
A view of the glacier at Montenvers, Chamonix, by Louis Janmot, estimated €2000-3000 at Artcurial.
Image copyright: Artcurial
As well as the section of drawings in its March 20 Old Masters and 19th century auction, Artcurial is holding a separate 85-lot sale the following day dedicated to the work of the artist Louis Janmot (1814-92) most of which consists of drawings. Many of the drawings are figure studies but there are also a few alpine views around Chamonix and Mont Blanc.
They include this 9 x 12in (23 x 33 cm) view of the glacier at Montenvers, Chamonix, in black chalk, stump and white highlights which is signed and dated La mer de glace au Montenvers L. Janmot 1844. It has an estimate of €2000-3000.
A pen and brown wash drawing by Giulio Romano's workshop, estimated €3000-4000 at Art Valorem.
In the early 1520s Frederico Gonzaga commissioned the artist and architecture Giulio Romano to create a palace for him in Mantua. The Palazzo Te has rooms that are sumptuously decorated with elaborate frescoes that are examples of Romano’s Mannerist style.
This lunette-shaped pen and brown wash drawing measuring 7¾ x 14½in (19 x 37cm) by Romano’s workshop depicts the eagle of Jupiter carrying Psyche towards the river Styx and is a study for the decorations of the Psyche room at the Palazzo. It features in the sale of Drawings and Old Master paintings to be held by Art Valorem at Drouot on March 21 where it is estimated at €3000-4000.
