Lotto No. 330


Antoine Jean-Baptiste Thomas


Antoine Jean-Baptiste Thomas - Dipinti antichi II

(Paris 1791–1833)
Boissy d’Anglas saluting the head of deputy Jean-Bertrand Féraud, presented on a pike on 20th May 1795 (1er prairial an III),
signed lower right: Thomas,
oil on canvas, 81.5 x 106 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private European collection

We are grateful to Giovanna Capitelli for confirming the attribution of the present painting after examination in the original and for her help in cataloguing this lot.

This painting was executed by Antoine Jean-Baptiste Thomas for the competition of 1830-1831 established by the July Monarchy to select a triptych of paintings to decorate the Chamber of Deputies, and the Salle de Séances in the Bourbon Palace in Paris. The subjects of the three paintings were to be taken from recent events of the French Revolution. They were closely connected to, and chosen by, the Interior Minister of Louis-Philippe to serve his political objectives, in order to demonstrate a new understanding of the Revolution (see M. Marrinan, Painting politics for Louis-Philippe: art and ideology in Orléanist France, 1830–1848, New Haven 1988, pp. 86-98). The present painting was the third subject of the competition.

Fifty-three painters, including Delacroix, presented their studies for the series at the École des Beaux-Arts. Initially Thomas’s compositional solution was received positively, as reported by the Journal des débats politiques et littéraires on 19 April 1831. However, he did not win the commission, which was awarded to Auguste Jean-Baptiste Vinchon.

This composition represents the moment when François-Antoine de Boissy d’Anglas, the president of the National Convention, remained calm in the face of the insurrection of 1795, while refusing to give up his place to the revolutionaries, and respectfully saluting the head of his friend deputy Jean-Bertrand Féraud, who had been beheaded by the angry crowd. In the present study the narrative centre is emphasised by the slant of arms and lances.

The painter represented the broad types of people that made up the varied crowd, describing the appearance of the fierce revolutionaries, the women, youths and children. The crowd is shown engaged in varied guises as each reacts individually to the brutal event. Thomas must have been inspired by the training he had received in Rome, which is demonstrated by the quantity of watercolours he produced in the city, documenting the life and customs of the people.

Antoine Jean-Baptiste Thomas is an artist of interest in the French Romantic movement, he was an active member of the Nouvelle Athènes, and he died aged forty-two (see G. Capitelli, Antoine Jean-Baptiste Thomas, biografia e primo catalogo delle opere, in: Antoine Jean-Baptiste Thomas e il popolo di Roma, 1817-1818, ed. by A. M. D’Amelio/S. Tozzi, exhibition catalogue, Rome 2016, pp. 8-26). His career began in Paris and, after his sojourn in Rome, he maintained a constant presence, exhibiting at the Salon from 1822 to 1831. Thomas gained celebrity and success because of the lithographs he produced after his Roman watercolours, published as Un an à Rome et dans ses environs, issued in twelve sets as of 1823.

22.10.2019 - 18:30

Prezzo realizzato: **
EUR 19.050,-
Stima:
EUR 15.000,- a EUR 20.000,-

Antoine Jean-Baptiste Thomas


(Paris 1791–1833)
Boissy d’Anglas saluting the head of deputy Jean-Bertrand Féraud, presented on a pike on 20th May 1795 (1er prairial an III),
signed lower right: Thomas,
oil on canvas, 81.5 x 106 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private European collection

We are grateful to Giovanna Capitelli for confirming the attribution of the present painting after examination in the original and for her help in cataloguing this lot.

This painting was executed by Antoine Jean-Baptiste Thomas for the competition of 1830-1831 established by the July Monarchy to select a triptych of paintings to decorate the Chamber of Deputies, and the Salle de Séances in the Bourbon Palace in Paris. The subjects of the three paintings were to be taken from recent events of the French Revolution. They were closely connected to, and chosen by, the Interior Minister of Louis-Philippe to serve his political objectives, in order to demonstrate a new understanding of the Revolution (see M. Marrinan, Painting politics for Louis-Philippe: art and ideology in Orléanist France, 1830–1848, New Haven 1988, pp. 86-98). The present painting was the third subject of the competition.

Fifty-three painters, including Delacroix, presented their studies for the series at the École des Beaux-Arts. Initially Thomas’s compositional solution was received positively, as reported by the Journal des débats politiques et littéraires on 19 April 1831. However, he did not win the commission, which was awarded to Auguste Jean-Baptiste Vinchon.

This composition represents the moment when François-Antoine de Boissy d’Anglas, the president of the National Convention, remained calm in the face of the insurrection of 1795, while refusing to give up his place to the revolutionaries, and respectfully saluting the head of his friend deputy Jean-Bertrand Féraud, who had been beheaded by the angry crowd. In the present study the narrative centre is emphasised by the slant of arms and lances.

The painter represented the broad types of people that made up the varied crowd, describing the appearance of the fierce revolutionaries, the women, youths and children. The crowd is shown engaged in varied guises as each reacts individually to the brutal event. Thomas must have been inspired by the training he had received in Rome, which is demonstrated by the quantity of watercolours he produced in the city, documenting the life and customs of the people.

Antoine Jean-Baptiste Thomas is an artist of interest in the French Romantic movement, he was an active member of the Nouvelle Athènes, and he died aged forty-two (see G. Capitelli, Antoine Jean-Baptiste Thomas, biografia e primo catalogo delle opere, in: Antoine Jean-Baptiste Thomas e il popolo di Roma, 1817-1818, ed. by A. M. D’Amelio/S. Tozzi, exhibition catalogue, Rome 2016, pp. 8-26). His career began in Paris and, after his sojourn in Rome, he maintained a constant presence, exhibiting at the Salon from 1822 to 1831. Thomas gained celebrity and success because of the lithographs he produced after his Roman watercolours, published as Un an à Rome et dans ses environs, issued in twelve sets as of 1823.


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Asta: Dipinti antichi II
Tipo d'asta: Asta in sala
Data: 22.10.2019 - 18:30
Luogo dell'asta: Wien | Palais Dorotheum
Esposizione: 12.10. - 22.10.2019


** Prezzo d'acquisto comprensivo di tassa di vendita e IVA

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