拍品专文
Charles Pineau Duclos (1704-1772) left his native Brittany to study in the collège d'Harcourt in Paris and become a lawyer. There he led a dissipated life and frequented cafés, meeting Crébillon, Piron, the Comte de Caylus, Moncrif, Maurepas and other writers. His first book was published in 1741, L'histoire de la baronne de Luz, an anecdote of the reign of King Henri IV. Around that time, the Swedish Ambassador, the Comte de Tessin, commissioned Boucher to illustrate a short tale he had written; unfortunately Tessin left for Sweden before he could finish the tale. It was in turn Boucher who commissioned tales from Duclos, Caylus and Voisenon to make use of the vignettes he had drawn.
Duclos later wrote L'Histoire de Louis XI, which was censored in 1745. In 1750, however, he became the official historiographer of France. Already a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et des Belles-Lettres since 1739, Duclos was elected in 1746 to the French Academy and in 1755 became its permanent secretary.
Duclos' most important work was his Considération sur les moeurs. Upon noticing that the word 'woman' was only once mentioned in it, he wrote a continuation: Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire des moeurs du dix-huitième siècle. The first few words of the Considérations created a scandal at its publication: 'J'ai vécu', 'I lived', to which some people answered 'where? in a café?'. Although Duclos was rough with people and very outspoken, he was a loyal and honest friend. Jean-Jacques Rousseau dedicated to him Le Devin du Village, his only opera.
The present pastel was in Cronier sale and with Brame with its pendant. It is only later that they were separated.
Duclos later wrote L'Histoire de Louis XI, which was censored in 1745. In 1750, however, he became the official historiographer of France. Already a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et des Belles-Lettres since 1739, Duclos was elected in 1746 to the French Academy and in 1755 became its permanent secretary.
Duclos' most important work was his Considération sur les moeurs. Upon noticing that the word 'woman' was only once mentioned in it, he wrote a continuation: Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire des moeurs du dix-huitième siècle. The first few words of the Considérations created a scandal at its publication: 'J'ai vécu', 'I lived', to which some people answered 'where? in a café?'. Although Duclos was rough with people and very outspoken, he was a loyal and honest friend. Jean-Jacques Rousseau dedicated to him Le Devin du Village, his only opera.
The present pastel was in Cronier sale and with Brame with its pendant. It is only later that they were separated.