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Lot Essay
Jean-Baptiste Huet was a keen observer of nature. A pupil of Leprince and close follower of Boucher, Huet distinguished himself, however, by his particular attention to nature. The present sheet may have been part of a series of plant studies which served as repoussoirs to his larger compositions. The famous group of eight head studies of animals, called Ttes de Renard, de Loups et de chiens was one of these series.
Another study of the same plant, dated 1770, is in the Museum of Fine Arts, San Francisco and bears the number '160', which would suggest that it formed part of a group. In his plant studies, Huet relates to the Dutch tradition of single plant studies, of which Jan van Huysum was the foremost artist in the period.
Like many of Huet's animal studies, the present drawing was possibly made at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris.
Another study of the same plant, dated 1770, is in the Museum of Fine Arts, San Francisco and bears the number '160', which would suggest that it formed part of a group. In his plant studies, Huet relates to the Dutch tradition of single plant studies, of which Jan van Huysum was the foremost artist in the period.
Like many of Huet's animal studies, the present drawing was possibly made at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris.