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Ulysses discovers Astyanax hidden in Hector's tomb (formerly 'One of Priam's sons discovered hidden in a tomb')

Maker

Copy after
(artist)
1616-1671

Formerly attributed to
(artist)
1616-1671

Formerly attributed to
(artist)
1616-1655

Title

Ulysses discovers Astyanax hidden in Hector's tomb (formerly 'One of Priam's sons discovered hidden in a tomb')

Date of Production

1600 - 1699

Medium

red chalk, pen and brown ink, brown wash, white bodycolour on blue laid paper, laid down on a historic mount

Dimensions

Height: 27.8 cm
Width: 38.1 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.3425

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords







Notes

This sheet reproduces, in reverse, Bourdon's painting Ulysses discovers Astyanax in Hector's tomb, now in the Musee des Beaux-Arts, Ottawa. The rediscovered painting was previously known only through an engraving by Samuel Bernard, which served as the model for this careful copy (our thanks to Jennifer Tonkovich for this information).

Provenance

Sir Joshua Reynolds, London (1723-1792); his estate sale, H. Phillips (London), 5 - 22 March 1798, lot 195 or 1955; sale of the property of a Gentleman, Sotheby's (London), 10 December 1930, lot 12; purchased there by Colnaghi (London); purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b, 3 January 1944 (£3, as by Le Sueur); Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

French 17th Century Drawings, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol, 1956

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: unable to check due to mount.

Inscription: Mount (historic), Recto: upper right corner, brown ink: "902"; lower left centre, brown ink: "Le. Sueur."; lower right edge, graphite: "Sir Joshua Reynolds Collection". Mount (historic), Verso: upper left corner, brown ink, circled, monogram: "WR" [? Not in Lugt]; upper left corner, brown ink: "8"; upper left corner, graphite: "55"; upper right corner, red ink, Reynolds's hand: "Lot 1955 [first "5" scratched out]"; right centre, brown ink: "B.18"; right centre edge, brown ink: "£ / 1.18- //"; centre, graphite: "29"; lower left, brown ink: "By Le. Seuer born 1617 died 1655 / An Eminent Artist / of the French School //"; lower right corner, brown ink: "10/-"; lower right edge, graphite, Colnaghi number: "A6191".

Collector's mark: Recto: lower right corner, stamped in black ink: Sir Joshua Reynolds (L.2364). Mount (historic), Recto: lower left corner, stamped in black ink: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b). Mount (historic), Verso: upper left corner, pen and red ink: Sir Joshua Reynolds (L.3016a).

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