879/​431

Louis Jean Desprez (b. Auxerre 1743, d. Stockholm 1804)

Gustav III of Sweden visiting a church in Rome. Unsigned. Inscribed Deprés Cab. de Schaper 1853 no. 53. Drawing ink and wash on paper. Sheet size 457×864 mm.

When Gustav III of Sweden visited Rome in 1783, he did so incognito as the Count of Haga, in order not to cause a stir. This might explain his slightly anonymous placement in the far left of the church. During his visit to Rome the King met Desprez, and later that year Desprez journeyed to Sweden to decorate The Royal Theatre in Stockholm. The King's enthusiasm for the artist knew no bounds, and he is quoted as saying that no one besides himself and Deprez possessed even an inkling of imagination. Desprez dreamed early on of becoming an architect, and during the first half of the 1760s he studied at the Académie Royale d'Architecture in Paris. However, he was later advised to pursue a career as an artist instead. The drawing here is a fine example of a beautiful symbiosis between artistic freedom and architectural diligence – a connection that also his friend and colleague in Rome, Francesco Piranesi, excelled in.

Exhibited: The Nivaagaard Collection, “Tegnekunst på Nivaagaard”, 1983, no. 34. Reproduced pl. 34.

The church and several details from the interior is found in other drawings by Desprez. See Nils G. Wollin: Desprez en Italie, Malmö 1935, pp. 182–183 & pl. 222–23.

Provenance: Gottfried Schaper (1775–1851), his estate auction 1853 no. 58 (as Després). Here purchased by Benjamin Wolff (1790–1866) (Lugt 420). Thence by descent.

The drawing is inscribed with a reference to Schaper's auction but the correct lot number is 58 and not 53 as mentioned on the drawing.

Condition

Condition report on request. Contact wolff@bruun-rasmussen.dk

Additional Remarks

Please note: The item is subject to the Anti-Money Laundering Act. In the event of a hammer price of DKK 50,000 or more, including buyer’s premium, the buyer must submit a copy of a valid photo ID and proof of address in order to collect the item.

Auction

The Wolff Collection, 30 May 2018

Category
Estimate

80,000–100,000 DKK

Sold

Price realised

750,000 DKK