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Lot Essay
These are counterproofs of studies for the figure of the doctor and of another man standing on the right of the tapestry cartoon of Le repas de Sancho dans l'Ile de Barataria (Muse national du Chteau de Compigne, Don Quichotte vu par un peintre du XVIIIe sicle; Natoire, 1977, fig. 45.)
The cartoon was part of a series of thirteen on Don Quixotte described in the inventory of the chteau d'Orsay made during the French Revolution: 'Treize grands tableaux placs ordinairement dans la salle de billard. Ils sont de Natoire. Les sujets sont pris de l'Histoire de Don Quichotte de la Manche'. The cartoons were commissioned by Pierre Grimod Dufort (1692-1748) to be woven by the Manufacture de Beauvais. The Repas de Sancho was the second tapestry to be woven, between 21 May 1735 and 21 July 1736. Ten tapestries only were made, the last completed in 1744. The tapestries hung in Grimod's house, the Htel Chamillart.
These counterpoofs were probably executed by Natoire himself to assess the effect the figures would make in reverse. The cartoon would be reversed in the process of being realized in tapestry. The doctor in the cartoon is holding his stick in his left hand, while in the tapestry and the present drawing he is right-handed.
The original drawings from which these counterproofs were taken are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Muse Cabu, Orlans (Compigne, op. cit., figs. 45 and 52).
In the cartoon the doctor is using his stick to prevent Sancho from eating his dinner, which caused Sancho's departure from the island.
The cartoon was part of a series of thirteen on Don Quixotte described in the inventory of the chteau d'Orsay made during the French Revolution: 'Treize grands tableaux placs ordinairement dans la salle de billard. Ils sont de Natoire. Les sujets sont pris de l'Histoire de Don Quichotte de la Manche'. The cartoons were commissioned by Pierre Grimod Dufort (1692-1748) to be woven by the Manufacture de Beauvais. The Repas de Sancho was the second tapestry to be woven, between 21 May 1735 and 21 July 1736. Ten tapestries only were made, the last completed in 1744. The tapestries hung in Grimod's house, the Htel Chamillart.
These counterpoofs were probably executed by Natoire himself to assess the effect the figures would make in reverse. The cartoon would be reversed in the process of being realized in tapestry. The doctor in the cartoon is holding his stick in his left hand, while in the tapestry and the present drawing he is right-handed.
The original drawings from which these counterproofs were taken are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Muse Cabu, Orlans (Compigne, op. cit., figs. 45 and 52).
In the cartoon the doctor is using his stick to prevent Sancho from eating his dinner, which caused Sancho's departure from the island.