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THE MAGAZINE AUCTION RESULTS
58 GAZETTE DROUOT INTERNATIONAL I N° 23
€204,468
In the footsteps of Caravaggio
On 10 February in Saint Cloud (Le Floc’h auction house), art lovers went
wild over this 17th century painting by an Italian school, formerly attributed
to Nicolas Régnier. No fewer than twenty telephone bidders set off
in pursuit of this oil on copper, a "Portrait of a huntsman". Estimated at no
more than €1,600, it was finally chased up to €204,468, despite a few chips
and restorations. The subject betrays the influence of Caravaggio, and
echoes many of his characteristics. For example, we find the master's taste
for working class figures. Here this is by no means a gentleman hunting
with hounds, but a humble man holding a dead fox by the neck. His
evident surprise, bordering on apprehension, in having his bag discovered
even suggests that he is a poacher... To accentuate the realism and
dramatic tension of the subject, the Italian painter employs the
chiaroscuro typical of Caravaggio, emphasising the contrasts with the
bright colour of the shirt draped around the huntsman's torso:
an aggressive red evoking the animal's death. Sophie Reyssat