Lot 104: Claude Gillot , Langres 1673 - 1722 Paris the baptism of christ Pen and black ink, the verso prepared in red chalk, with a partial, illegible sketch

Pen and black ink, the verso prepared in red chalk, with a partial, illegible sketch

measurements note 175 by 110 mm

Denys Sutton, thence by inheritance to the present owner

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF DENYS SUTTON
Whilst Gillot is known mostly for his sometimes bizarre genre scenes, depicting bacchanals, gamblers or figures from the Commedia dell'Arte, he also produced a number of drawings of religious subjects. The present sheet was drawn as part of a series of 56 drawings of the Life of Christ made in 1720, towards the end of his career, perhaps for an unrecorded book illustration project. The drawings were eventually engraved after Gillot's death by Gabriel Huquier, and published, without text, as an independent set of prints.υ1 Other drawings from the series are preserved at the Bibliothèque Royale, Brussels. The drawing formerly belonged to Denys Sutton, an expert on French art, and Editor of Apollo magazine for over 25 years. 1. See B. Populus, Claude Gillot (1673-1722) Catalogue de l'Oeuvre Gravé, Paris 1930, pp. 178-191, cat. nos. 282-339, the Baptism of Christ p. 180, no. 291