Lot 123A: *NICOLAS-DIDIER BOGUET (1755-1839)

signed D Boguet oil on canvas Boguet first studied in Paris under the sponsorship of the Prince de Condé. At the age of 23 he was agréé at the Académie Royale de Peinture et Sculture. In 1783 he left Paris to study in Rome and intended to stay for only six months, but Italy seduced him and the artist remained there producing paintings that were sent to the Paris Salons. Boguet treated the present subject at least six times (see Aubrun, "Nicolas-Didier Boguet, un émule du Lorrain," Gazette des Beaux Arts, May-June 1974, pp. 319-336). One of these versions, A View of Lake Nemi, near Rome, at Sunset is listed as the first work to be exhibited by Boguet in the Salon of 1800. Unfortunately, there are no dimensions or other information given in the exhibition catalogue so it is difficult to ascertain if the present painting is that which was exhibited in the Salon. Although mainly known as a landscapist, Boguet was commissioned by Napoleon to paint scenes from the Italian campaign, such as La Bataille de Rivoli and Le Passage du Pô, à Plaisance. Boguet was made a chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur and was also a member of the Academy of St. Luke in Rome, the Royal Academy, Tuscany and the Association for the Establishment of French in Rome.