LOT #69046 |
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Guillaume Seignac (French, 1870-1924). Cupid and Psyche. Oil on canvas. 53 x 36 inches (134.6 x 91.4 cm). Signed lower r...
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Sold on Jun 3, 2022 for:
$100,000.00
Bid Source: Internet bidder
Description
Guillaume Seignac (French, 1870-1924)Cupid and Psyche
Oil on canvas
53 x 36 inches (134.6 x 91.4 cm)
Signed lower right: G-SEIGNAC
PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Miami, Oklahoma, acquired circa 1970;
Acquired by the present owner from the above.
Perhaps the greatest love story of the ancient world, the tale of Cupid and Psyche, symbolizing the power of love and its ability to shape the soul, has provided boundless inspiration for artists across the ages.
Trained in the academic style at the École des Beaux-Arts, Guillaume Seignac specialized in allegorical subjects, approaching the present work as part of a broader Platonic tradition, highlighting the concept of love (Cupid) shaping the self (Psyche) instead of pushing the baser sexual aspects of the myth to the forefront.
Overtly erotic representations were favored in the earlier Rococo period, with the central figures often depicted as two young and beautiful people of the same age. Seignac avoids that conception entirely in this iteration, going so far as to abstain from excessive use of reds and pinks, the colors of passion, in favor of a cooler, less suggestive palette.
Seignac studied under the master academician William-Adolphe Bouguereau from 1889 to 1895, which all but guarantees a familiarity with Bouguereau's Amour et Psyché from 1890. Bouguereau's composition, showing the central figures both as winged babies in a pastel cloudscape, emphasized the innocence of the figures at an early point in the story, after they have fallen into innocent true love, but before the wrath of Venus befalls them; while also presenting a more restrained appeal to the Salon, where contemporary Victorian sensibilities more strongly favored the chaste.
Bouguereau's influence on his pupil is evident, but Seignac was not without his own strengths and individualism - the classical curriculum at the École introduced him to the work of Phidias, a legendary master sculptor from antiquity, best known for his exquisite rendering of drapery in marble. Displaying the full strength of his education, and perhaps in purposeful juxtaposition with Bouguereau, a titan of nudity renowned for his rendering of soft alabaster skin, Seignac expressed the human form not by laying it bare, but by revealing it from within and beneath an inspired use of drapery. This method of showing the sensual curvature of the female form without overt nudity allowed him a broad commercial appeal during his lifetime.
Condition Report*:
Unlined canvas. Very minor frame abrasion at upper edge. Very slight yellowing to the varnish layer. Horizontal stretcher bar mark visible at center under raking light. A few small areas of pigment separation, apparently stabilized beneath the varnish layer, in the foliage behind the figure's heads. An approximately 1 inch horizontal line of loss in the lower left corner. A very few scattered pinpoint losses in the lower half of the work. A few faint surface scuffs. Not examined out of frame due to size.
Under UV: varnish fluoresces green. A brushy patch of retouching to the forehead of the female figure above her proper right eye. Possible strengthening applied to Cupid's sash and to the flowers at lower right. A few additional scattered pinpoints of very finely applied retouching, particularly to the background and clothing fabric.
Framed Dimensions 59 X 42 X 2 Inches
*Heritage Auctions strives to provide as much information as possible but encourages in-person inspection by bidders.
Statements regarding the condition of objects are only for general guidance and should not be relied upon as complete statements of fact, and do not constitute a representation,
warranty or assumption of liability by Heritage. Some condition issues may not be noted in the condition report but are apparent in the provided photos which are considered part of the condition report.
Please note that we do not de-frame lots estimated at $1,000 or less and may not be able to provide additional details for lots valued under $500.
Heritage does not guarantee the condition of frames and shall not be liable for any damage/scratches to frames, glass/acrylic coverings, original boxes, display accessories, or art that has slipped in frames.
All lots are sold "AS IS" under the Terms & Conditions of Auction.Under UV: varnish fluoresces green. A brushy patch of retouching to the forehead of the female figure above her proper right eye. Possible strengthening applied to Cupid's sash and to the flowers at lower right. A few additional scattered pinpoints of very finely applied retouching, particularly to the background and clothing fabric.
Framed Dimensions 59 X 42 X 2 Inches
Auction Info
2022 June 3 Fine European Art Signature® Auction #8084 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
June, 2022
3rd
Friday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 10
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 1,859
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% on the first $300,000 (minimum $49), plus 20% of any amount between $300,000 and $3,000,000, plus 15% of any amount over $3,000,000 per lot.
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