George Glazer Gallery - Antique Prints - Prud'hon Neoclassical Allegories of Artist and Model as Children

Neoclassical Allegories of Artist and Model
After Pierre Prud'hon

Pierre-Paul Prud'hon (1758-1823) (after)
Noël (engraver)
Le Dessinateur [The Draftsman]
Le Modèle [The Model]
Chez Bance, Rue Saint Denis, No. 17, pres cell aux 17: September 15, 1804
Color aquatints
16.5 x 11.25 inches each, overall
14 x 10 inches, image 25 x 19.75 inches, framed
$5,900, the pair

Related work, La Peinture (not for sale)

Pair of allegorical images produced as high-quality color aquatints. The draftsman and the model sitting for a portrait are depicted as nude cherubs in the neoclassical style. The model poses seated on a low stool. The draftsman also sits upon a stool and looks intently as he begins sketching with a pencil. The prints are related to two figures in a Prud'hon painting called La Peinture [Painting] (see above), the original of which is in the Louvre Museum. Prud'hon painted it between 1798 and 1801 as part of an ensemble of painted panels for the Salon de la Richesse on the ground floor of the mansion of the financier Marc-Antoine-Joseph de Lannoy in the district of the Chaussée d'Antin. The design included four large naturalistic figures (Richness, the Arts, the Pleasures and Philosophy), allegories of the times of day, and heads of figures from Greek mythology and 20 allegorical panels. La Peinture, one of the allegorical panels, is painted in grisaille in golden brown tones to look like a bas-relief, and was mounted under the figure of the Arts. There were a preparatory drawing on cardboard of Le Dessinateur and a drawing of Le Modèle from which Noël engraved this pair of prints. Other copies of these prints are in the collection of the Baron Martin Museum in Gray, France, which has a large Prud'hon collection; the locations of the original drawings are currently unknown.

Pierre-Paul Prud'hon is best known for his allegorical paintings and portraits. After winning the Prix de Rome in 1784, he studied in Italy, and the art of Raphael, Caravaggio and especially Correggio had a lasting impact on his style, which was softer and more lyrical than the austere neoclassicism of contemporaries such as David. From 1798, Prud'hon painted numerous commissioned works for wealthy patrons, including Napoleon and his wife Josephine. He also completed major works for public buildings and designed furniture and interiors.

Condition: Generally very good with the usual overall toning and light wear. A few small tears and abrasions with old restorations, not obtrusive.

References:
"La Base Joconde." http://www.culture.fr/public/mistral/joconde_fr (14 May 2003).

"Pierre-Paul Prud'hon." The Grove Dictionary of Art. New York: Macmillan. 2000

Artnet.com. http://www.artnet.com/library/06/0698/T069882.asp (14 May 2003).