Lot 662: JEAN-BAPTISTE REGNAULT

JEAN-BAPTISTE REGNAULT PARIS 1754 (?) - 1829 THE THREE GRACES Black chalk 529 by 360 mm; 20 3/4 by 14 1/8 in

This drawing is closely related to Regnault's painting (fig.1) which was exhibited at the Salon of 1799 and entered the collections of the Louvre in 1870. A drawing of this subject was included in his studio sale in Paris, 1-5 March 1830. The technique is similar to that of a drawing sold New York, Sotheby's, 13 January 1988, lot 271, which is related to his painting of The Judgement of Paris (now in Detroit).

After four years of study in Rome, Regnault returned to Paris where he had a successful career, surviving the changes in political mood and taste. He was a rival of David, maintaining a less radical and severe style.