Lot 20 : Gustave Moreau (French, 1826-1898)

Gustave Moreau - 1826-1898

Auction Location: United Kingdom - 2001
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Description:

Saint S‚bastien et ses bourreaux signed '- Gustave Moreau -' (lower right) oil on panel 12 5/8 x 15 7/8 in. (32 x 40.3 cm.) Painted circa 1873 PROVENANCE Paul Tesse, acquired directly from the artist. Bischofen. Mme Berne-Bellecour (by 1906). Alfred Baillehache. Anon. sale, Christie's London, 1 December 1967, lot 49. LITERATURE P. Flat, 'Gustave Moreau', La Revue de l'art ancien et moderne, 10 January 1898, pp. 39-50 (illustrated p. 43). P. L. Mathieu, Gustave Moreau, sa vie, son oeuvre. Catalogue raisonn‚ de l'oeuvre achev‚, Fribourg, 1976, no. 126 (illustrated p. 310). P. L. Mathieu, Complete edition of the finished paintings, watercolours and drawings, Oxford, 1977, no. 126 (illustrated p. 316 and illustrated in colour p. 109). P. L. Mathieu, Gustave Moreau, monographie et nouveau catalogue de l'oeuvre achev‚, Paris, 1998, no. 144 (illustrated p. 318). G. Lacambre et al., Gustave Moreau Between Epic and Dream, exhibition catalogue, Chicago, 1999, pp. 172-3, n. 6. EXHIBITION Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, Exposition Gustave Moreau au profit des oeuvres du travail et des pauvres honteux, 1906, no. 14 (collection Mme Berne-Bellecour). Kofu, Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art, Gustave Moreau et le Symbolisme, 1984-5, no. 60; this exhibition later travelled to Kamakurra, Museum of Modern Art, and Tsu, Mie Prefectural Art Museum. Zurich, Kunsthaus, Gustave Moreau symboliste, 1986, no. 33; this exhibition later travelled to Munich, Villa Stuck. NOTES Moreau painted several versions of the Saint Sebastian legend during the years 1869-1876, exploring different aspects of the story. The earliest of these depict the Saint being tended by holy women, who bind his wounds after his ordeal (fig. 1). Two versions from the early 1870s portray the Saint in a wider landscape tied to a tree and being shot at by Roman soldiers with bows and arrows (the present work and a larger unfinished version on canvas in the Mus‚e Gustave Moreau, cat. 76). A number of other versions dating from around 1876 relate to the picture Saint S‚bastien et un ange, which was exhibited at the Salon of that year (fig. 2). Here the Saint, still bound to the tree in a similar pose to that depicted in the present work, and pierced with arrows, is visited by an angel. Moreau was evidently pleased with his treatment of this subject, which proved popular with dealers such as Paul Tesse (who bought no less than three versions, including the present work). Other versions were given by the artist to his friends, such as his doctor Tourni‚, and the architect Dainville. The present work was later purchased by the collector Alfred Baillehache (1870-1922), who formed an important collection of Moreau's works, indeed he also owned Sainte C‚cile (Les Anges lui annoncent son prochain martyre), lot 17 in this sale. In the present work Moreau attempts to set the story in its historical, third century setting. The soldiers on the right, some on horseback carrying signia, others on foot shooting arrows, wear Roman dress and armour. The archaic setting is further enhanced by the architectural details such as the large Roman columns, surmounted by ancient sculpture, the fallen capitals in the foreground and the hint of an ancient citadel in the distance. Saint Sebastian is tied to the large tree on the far left of the composition, bathed in Divine light. He is pierced with arrows, but refuses to die, his bowed head and serene countenance denote that he is resigned to his fate. The elegant pose of the suffering Saint is contrasted with the faceless agitated soldiers in the distance. A number of figures can also be seen crouching behind the tree, no doubt the holy women whom Moreau depicts in the slightly earlier renditions of this subject. This exquisite panel, with its golden light and warm vibrant colours, reminds one of the works of Delacroix, an artist whom Moreau greatly admired, as well as his former teacher Chass‚riau.