Christie's Old Master & British Drawings online auction including The Cornelia Bessie Estate property for sale January 14-28 features works from the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth centuries, with a focus on drawings by some of the greatest XNUMXth-century French artists .
A rare highlight of the auction appearing on the market for the first time is the pastel portrait of Philibert Cramer, one of Voltaire's editors, of Jean-Étienne Liotard, offered by his descendants (estimate: $400.000-600.000). The charming character is identified on a label on the back of the canvas as Philibert Cramer (1727-1779), who together with his brother Gabriel, were Voltaire's principal editors and responsible for the first editions of important works such as the novel Candide. Liotard is closely associated with the medium of pastel and the portrait is a stunning display of his artistry, characterized by originality and a sense of realism.
Cornelia Bessie's collection features a strong group of 200.000th-century works, including an important wash drawing of the Flight into Egypt by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo that displays incredible freshness and was once owned by Prince Alexis Orlov (estimate: $ 300.000-XNUMX). Another highlight of the Cornelia Bessie collection is an enchanting red plaster figure study Young Dozing Woman by Jean-Honoré Fragonard (estimate: $300.000-500.000).
Sale includes thirteen sheets from Fragonard's illustrations for Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando furioso, the popular 15.000th-century epic poem, offered from the Collection of Nina R. and Arthur A. Houghton, Jr (estimates range from $30.000 to $70.000). . The thirteen examples have been held together since Fragonard's death and are probably the largest group available in private hands. A red chalk study of a woman's head by Jean-Baptiste Greuze highlights the group from the Nina Griscom Collection (estimate: $100.000-80.000). Rounding out the selection by French artists is a large drawing by Laurent de La Hyre of his Binding of Isaac in Reims (estimate: $120.000-XNUMX).
Among the Italian drawings are such rare works as a sketch for a painting by the XNUMXth-century Roman artist Antoniazzo Romano, an architectural drawing by architect Vincenzo Scamozzi, a pupil of Palladio, and a drawing of the Nativity by Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione. Northern drawings include Jan Siberecht's study of a gnarled old tree, a selection of works from the Rembrandt school, a pastel family portrait by Cornelis Troost, as well as one of the finest early copies since Dürer's Hare.
