Lot 124: Attributed to Jean-Baptiste Regnault , Paris 1754 (?) - 1829 Sleeping Venus oil on canvas

oil on canvas

measurements note 37 by 29 1/2 in.; 94 by 75 cm.

The attribution to Regnault has been suggested based on comparison with a pen and ink drawing of this subject signed by Regnault offered at Sotheby's, Monaco, December 5, 1991, lot 66. The Sleeping Venus was a frequent subject in French 18th century art and a particular favorite of François Boucher who addressed the subject several times during the mid and late 1730s, shortly after his return from Italy to Paris. The Boucher composition of Venus Endormie sur un Lit de Repos that most closely relates to the present work is only known today through engravings, one by Michel Aubert [see Fig. 1] (with a quatrain by Lepicie beginning, "Ne cessons de craindre une belle"), and a further two by Nicholas Dufour and Petit. The engraving was clearly influential to many artists since versions of this specific composition were painted by Lajoue, Huet and Fragonard. Boucher's treatment of the subject differs from the present work in that he depicts the figure of Venus reclining on a bed with her face truned away from the viewer. However, the pose of cupid in the present work is almost directly derived from the Boucher composition. It is interesting to note that there is also a drawing by Boucher for the Cupid now in the Albertina, Vienna. 1. See Alexandre Ananoff, François Boucher, vol I, p. 227, cat. no. 97.