Piasa is holding an auction dedicated to drawings, old paintings, furniture and decorative arts. The sale will take place on September 21, 2022 and features a drawing by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.
The painting (Montauban, Musée Ingres) has been ordered to Ingres in 1812 to decorate the ceiling of the Emperor's room in the Monte Cavallo Palace. It was painted in an oval format in 1813. In 1835, Ingres, back in Rome as director of the Academy, bought it. He worked with Balze, his pupil, to adapt it to a rectangular format. The painting remained in his studio until his death. In 1851, Ingres had this picture engraved by Réveil.
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
The dream of Ossian
Estimate: 15 000/ 20 000 €
Many drawings precede the work or repeat it. The most important compositions are the following:
- A watercolour dated 1811, given to his friend Hippolyte Lebas around 1824, and probably backdated by Ingres at that time.
- A watercolour given to his friend Gilibert around 1823
- A watercolour dated 1812 kept in the Louvre Museum (RF1446)
- A watercolour dated 1809 in the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge
- A watercolour dated 1866 and kept in Montauban.
- A pencil on tracing paper kept in Montauban (Inv.867.2173), size 24.5 x 18 cm, dated around 1813
- A pencil on tracing paper preserved in Montauban (Inv 867.2174), size 42.5 x 29.2 cm, dated around 1813
Our drawing represents this composition, from which the Montauban tracing paper (cut on the edges) (Inv 867.2174) seems to be reproduced (cf. Georges Vigne, Dessins d'Ingres, Catalogue raisonné des dessins du musée de Montauban, 1995, ed. Gallimard and Réunion des Musées Nationaux, n°1280, repr p.230). On the reverse side of this drawing, there are traces of embossing due to strong pressure on the contours, a result of the transfer work on the tracing paper. The dimensions match, taking into account the sides cut out on the Montauban tracing and the enlargements on our drawing. Each of the other versions show variations from this composition. The drawing shows small mistakes (position of Ossian's foot and drapery, edging of Ossian's drapery, enlargement of the cloudy sky).
Provenance :
Collection of Madame Adèle Maizony de Lauréal (1782-1833)
Madame Adèle Nicaise-Lacroix was the wife of Stanislas Maizony de Lauréal, Advocate General at the Court of Florence in 1808, then Chief Clerk of the Court of Rome in 1810. Ingres met her in Rome and fell in love with her. "I want to marry you," he told her. "You are a bit late, it is already done elsewhere," she replied. Then she introduced him to her cousin Madeleine Chapelle, who became Ingres' second wife. Adèle died prematurely in 1833. Her portrait (Naef n°102), done by Ingres in Rome in 1813, when she was pregnant, was dispersed with three other drawings of the same provenance as our drawing on June 14, 1991 at Audap-Godeau-Solanet (n°12, reproduced). After Adèle's death, Madeleine Ingres was in charge of the de Lauréal house. Ingres drew no less than seven portraits of Adèle Maizony de Lauréal. He was the godfather of one of her children.
