‘More affordable’ options at Paris Drawings Week

Not everything in the spring drawings sales required a six-figure bank balance to purchase. Plenty of more affordable works appeared across all the Paris rooms – both Drouot and the independents (and, of course, in the various dealers shows and fairs). Pictured here are some works within the reach of less elevated budgets.

Small pair of black chalk and wash landscapes by the 17th century Dutch artist Hermann Saftleven sold at Christie’s Paris for €4000 (£3420). Christie's Images Ltd, 2019.

Anne Crane
19 Apr 2019

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Dutch landscapes

This small pair of 4 x 3in (10 x 8cm) black chalk and wash landscapes measuring 4 x 3in (10 x 8cm), by the 17th century Dutch artist Hermann Saftleven, is monogrammed HS and numbered 33.

They show boats on a river and figures, some of whom appear to be sawing wood on the bank. Last under the hammer at Christie’s Amsterdam in 1993, they sold in the auction house’s Paris rooms on March 27 for €4000 (£3420).

Hubert Robert drawing

Hubert Robert’s red chalk drawing sold for €18,000 (£15,385) at Mirabaud Mercier’s mixed-discipline sale.

Hubert Robert’s (1733-1808) red chalk drawing of a fashionable lady with her servants drawing in front of a ruined chapel featured in a small works on paper section in Mirabaud Mercier’s (27.6% buyer’s premium inc VAT) mixed-discipline sale at Drouot on March 28.

The 11½ x 15in (29 x 37.5cm) work, featuring a stamp for the framer F Renaud and with a provenance to the collection of Hippolyte Durand Tahier, trebled the low estimate to take €18,000 (£15,385).

Pavilions project

Drawings showing two projects for classical pavilions on the Champs Elysées catalogued as French School c.1800, sold for €1280 (£1500) at Ader. Image copyright: Ader/Drouot.

Ader’s dedicated works on paper sale at Drouot included a group of architectural drawings, some signed, some attributed, others simply described as French school.

Not all found buyers but among those that did were two projects for classical pavilions on the Champs Elysées (as annotated on the reverse), one of which is shown here.

Executed in watercolour, pen and ink with gouache highlights, one signed A Philippe, they were catalogued as French School c.1800 and measured 12 x 19in (30 x 48) and 10½ x 18in (27 x 46cm).

They sold for €1280 (£1500).

Everyday life

Nicolas Bernard Lépicié’s pen and ink, grey wash and red chalk study sold for €3200 (£2735) at Artcurial.

Genre studies of everyday life featuring ordinary working people were the foundation of the Parisian artist Nicolas Bernard Lépicié’s oeuvre and had a keen following among contemporary collectors.

This pen and ink, grey wash and red chalk study of a young countrywoman leaning against her large basket is signed and also annotated and numbered 6 on the reverse of the mount.

It sold for €3200 (£2735) at Artcurial’s March 27 auction of Old Master and 19th century drawings and paintings.