Simon Vouet | A collection of fine engravings by Simon Vouet, Paris, 1625–1661 - photo 1
Simon Vouet | A collection of fine engravings by Simon Vouet, Paris, 1625–1661 - photo 2
Simon Vouet | A collection of fine engravings by Simon Vouet, Paris, 1625–1661 - photo 3

Simon Vouet | A collection of fine engravings by Simon Vouet, Paris, 1625–1661

Lot 86
28.11.2023 14:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 3 500
AuctioneerSotheby´s
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1076609
Lot 86 | Simon Vouet | A collection of fine engravings by Simon Vouet, Paris, 1625–1661
Estimate value
£ 3 500 – 5 000
Simon Vouet

A collection of engravings by Simon Vouet. Paris, 1625–1661

Folio (515 x 370mm.), 151 STRIKING ENGRAVINGS on 145 plates, seven of the plates with two images, 26 of the plates double-page, engraved by Dorigny, Michel, Lasne, Greuter, Tortebat, and P. de Jode fils, CONTEMPORARY RED MOROCCO, ELEGANTLY GILT, covers panelled with two wide gilt botanical rolls, the space between the rolls featuring four elaborate lozenges composed of drawer handles, volutes, fleurs-de-lys, delicate botanical stamps, and other small tools, similarly designed cornerpieces, the inner gilt frame enclosing a large and ornate central mandorla featuring strapwork, floral tools, volutes, and a laurel wreath surrounding a plain central oval, raised bands, spine richly gilt in compartments with a central lozenge composed of fleurons, drawer handles, and fleurs-de-lys, intricately scrolling cornerpieces, minor wear to binding

Presented in very handsome period morocco, this work contains an extensive collection of engravings after master painter and draftsman Simon Vouet (1590-1649), the artist who, in the words of Benezit, “can be seen as the creator of the French baroque style” and who had a strong impact on French art for over a quarter of a century. The works here include five portraits (two of them of the artist himself), many subjects from classical mythology or literature, and a series of biblical themes, of which images of the Madonna and Child—some apparently based on the artist’s own wife and child—dominate. There are also several delightful engravings of the Holy Family, including some that, rather unusually, portray Joseph as a young, handsome man. All but four of the double-page plates portray saints or scenes from the Bible, including powerful illustrations of the Crucifixion, the Pieta, and the Entombment. In addition to the artist’s figurative work, there are also engravings of his decorative work done for interior spaces of wealthy patrons, demonstrating Vouet’s versatility as well as his range of influence across the fine and decorative arts.

The son of a French painter attached to the court of Henry IV, Vouet gained recognition for his artistic talents from a young age. By 1613 he had settled in Rome, where at first he became heavily influenced by the work of Caravaggio. But he forged a highly successful career for himself, procuring the patronage of Cardinal Barberini (who became Pope Urban VIII) and rising to the rank of director at the prestigious Accademia di San Luca. According to Benezit, he “was considered the leader of all the French painters in Rome.” In 1627 Louis XIII called upon Vouet to return to France, where he was given residence in the Louvre and the title of “First Painter to the King”. Vouet was a fresh and dominating force in Paris, gaining important commissions and spreading his style through teaching as well as through the medium of engravings, as the present work attests. Among Vouet’s most important pupils were Charles le Brun (who organized all the interior decorative painting in Versailles), Valentin de Boulogne, Pierre Mignard, Eustache Le Sueur, Nicolas Chaperon, Claude Mellan, and the Flemish artist Abraham Willaerts. While single plates after Vouet appear regularly at auction, large collections such as this are much rarer.
Address of auction Sotheby´s
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United Kingdom
Preview
28.11.2023
Phone +44 (0) 20 7293 5000
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