{"product_id":"fine-french-revolutionary-era-pencil-portrait-of-cesar-ledoux-c-1795-incroyables-et-merveilleux","title":"Fine French Revolutionary Era Pencil Portrait of César Ledoux, c. 1795, Incroyables et Merveilleux","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFine French Revolutionary Era Pencil Portrait of César Ledoux, c. 1795\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA superb and remarkably characterful French pencil portrait, dating to the turbulent final years of the 18th century and identified in period manuscript on the reverse as \u003cstrong\u003e“Mr César Ledoux.”\u003c\/strong\u003e Beautifully drawn, the sitter emerges from a softly worked dark ground, his face rendered with extraordinary delicacy and psychological presence. His dress is wonderfully of the moment: high turned collar, dark coat and waistcoat, a substantial cravat wrapped high at the neck, and that marvelous fashionable hair—long \u003cem\u003eoreilles de chien\u003c\/em\u003e, or “dog’s ears,” at the sides and quite possibly drawn back into a queue at the nape. These exaggerated fashions flourished among the stylish young men of post-Revolutionary France, particularly the \u003cstrong\u003eIncroyables of the Directoire\u003c\/strong\u003e, and suggest a date around 1795–1800. The artist has caught more than costume, though: those enormous direct eyes, slightly parted lips and wonderfully individual face make César feel startlingly alive more than two centuries later.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe name on the reverse has led us down a fascinating historical path. Archival records document a \u003cstrong\u003eCésar Ledoux marrying in Besançon on January 17, 1787\u003c\/strong\u003e, while later records identify a César Ledoux of Besançon as an important figure in French Freemasonry, eventually \u003cstrong\u003eGrand-Maître Provincial of the Directoire de Bourgogne of the Rectified Scottish Rite\u003c\/strong\u003e, whose death in 1846 occasioned a formal Masonic funeral and published funeral oration. Research continues to establish conclusively whether these records belong to our sitter. There is an additional tantalizing question surrounding the celebrated Neoclassical architect \u003cstrong\u003eClaude-Nicolas Ledoux (1736–1806)\u003c\/strong\u003e, who was working extensively in the Besançon region during precisely this period, including his celebrated theatre there. We have \u003cstrong\u003enot established a familial relationship\u003c\/strong\u003e, and make no such attribution, but the shared name, place and period certainly make further genealogical research irresistible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQuite apart from the mystery of César's identity, this is simply a \u003cstrong\u003ewonderful late-18th-century French portrait\u003c\/strong\u003e—intimate, sophisticated and exceptionally expressive. The circular drawing remains housed in its handsome antique black and gilt frame, a particularly effective foil for the monochromatic portrait. There is something enormously appealing about owning not the generalized handsome face of an anonymous gentleman, but \u003cstrong\u003eCésar Ledoux himself\u003c\/strong\u003e, his name still preserved on the back and his rather extraordinary gaze coming straight through the centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Antiques \u0026 Uncommon Treasure","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48948266336510,"sku":"926pmLedoux","price":495.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0298\/3392\/0556\/files\/926pmLedoux.jpg?v=1789245919","url":"https:\/\/antiques-uncommon-treasure.com\/fr\/products\/fine-french-revolutionary-era-pencil-portrait-of-cesar-ledoux-c-1795-incroyables-et-merveilleux","provider":"Antiques \u0026 Uncommon Treasure","version":"1.0","type":"link"}