Lot 161: HUGUES TARAVAL PARIS 1729-1785

THE PROPERTY OF DIDIER AARON INC.

TWO CHILDREN

measurements note
17 1/8 by 21 in.; 43.5 by 53.5 cm.

monogrammed and dated on the reverse HT (in ligature) / A. 12 Mars/ 1756

oil on canvas

PROVENANCE

Anonymous sale, Monaco, Sotheby's, June 16, 1990, lot 275, to Didier Aaron Inc.

NOTE

The present painting is an early work by Hugues Taraval, dating to the same year the artist received the prestigious Prix de Rome, which allowed him to spend a year at the French Academy in Rome in 1756.

Taraval revived the Roman tradition of bambochades, pictures depicting children from modest backgrounds. Taraval adds sentimentality, a prominent characteristic of 18th century painting. During his Roman sojourn, Taraval painted several closely related canvases, including is a Portrait of a Young Lady, which was published in the French journal L'Oeil in September 1984. It is also interesting to note that there is a record of the artist having made a sketch of two children after Domenichino (Sold Paris, Taraval sale, March 20, 1786, lot 39), which further stresses Taraval's interest in this particular motif.