AUCTION CATALOGUE: CONSTANTIN, Guillaume Jean, expert.

Catalogue d’une Collection de Tableaux des Ecoles Italienne, Flamande, Hollandaise, et Française. Marbres et Effets de curiosité [added in cont. ms.]: “de Mr. Le Comte Français.” Dont la Vente se fera le Lundi 16 Janvier 1815, et jours suivans…

1 p.l., 21 pp. 8vo (201 x 129 mm.), late 19th-cent. morocco-backed marbled boards (spine a little rubbed), title on spine. Paris: Constantin & Chariot, 1815.

An interesting copy of this rare auction catalogue, with a number of marginal notes and all prices in a contemporary hand. The annotator has also added “de Mr. Le Comte Français” on the title-page. This note contradicts the Avertissement in which Constantin writes that this collection was assembled by an anonymous artist over the course of several trips abroad.

Constantin (1755-1816) was one of the leading French art dealers of the period, from the 1790s until his death. His clients included Empress Joséphine and Johann Friedrich Städel, whose collection established the Städel Museum. The former even named Constantin as her personal curator of paintings, and he compiled the printed catalogue of pictures at Malmaison, published in 1811. Constantin specialized in contemporary art, and befriended artists like Prud’hon, Isabey, Gois, Wilhelm von Kobell, and Fleury Richard.

This catalogue describes 127 lots of paintings and several lots of sculpture. Among the pictures, we find the work of Albani, Guercino, N. Berghem, Boilly, Boullogne, F. Boucher, Brueghel, Caravaggio, Giorgione, La Hyre, Jouvenet, Le Prince, J. Miel, Molnaert, I. Moucheron, Le Nain, G. Netscher, Panini, N. Poussin, del Sarto, Schedoni, J. Steen, Titian, Wouwerman, Zuccarelli, etc. On several occasions the annotator has crossed out artists’ names, refuting their attribution.

A very good and intriguing annotated copy of this catalogue. With the engraved bookplate of G[eorges] P[annier] (1853-1944), the Parisian dealer of luxury goods and collector of early auction catalogues, on the front paste-down, and an identified 19th-century bookplate pasted above. Stamp of the Bibliothèque Heim on verso of title.

❧ Lugt 8633.

Price: $1,250.00

Item ID: 7302