$197,000
1886 oil on canvas 132 x 91. 5 cm (52 x 36 3/8 in.) signed and dated lower right, old gallery label on verso PROVENANCE William Schaus Galleries, New York, NY before 1910 Collection of Mrs. A. Tabin, Evanston, IL Auction of Chicago Art Galleries, Chicago, IL, 1947 Acquired by the family of the present owner at the above in 1947 One of the most distinguished European history painters of the 19th century, Alexandre Cabanel`s work displays an ever-present tension between his classical training and theatrical tendencies. Combined with the characteristic display of the Second Empire`s romantic eclecticism, the master`s virtuoso brushwork, so brilliantly presented here in are the quintessential academic qualities that led him to become a leading representative of the Paris Salon and Napoleon III`s preferred artist. As a student at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Cabanel studied under Francois Edouard Picot, a pupil of the proponent of the French Revolution and famed Neoclassicist, Jacques-Louis David. At the Academy, students spent a significant part of their time learning potential subject matter from classical texts and literature. In reference to his time at the academy, Alexis Lemaistre wrote: Despite praise garnered by a composition presently in the permanent collection of the Musee d`Orsay, Paris (and originally acquired for the private collection of Napoleon III), it was theater that inspired Cabanel`s greatest work. Shakespeare in particular, no doubt spurred by the An Read more…
Auctioneer:
Shapiro Auctions
Date:
2016-05-21
