Ζωγραφική με μελάνι - Υπογεγραμμένη - 1769

Pierre de Wolsay (active 3th quarter or 18th century)

Capriccio with a ruined temple in a riverside wooded landscape.



Pen and black ink, surface scratching, 56.7 x 71.5 cm.

This remarkably intricate drawing is a bravura display of virtuosity, aiming to imitate the complexity and the aspect of an etching. Little is known about Pierre de Wolsay, who seems to have been primarily active in the Alsace region.



Excessively large drawing in pen and black ink, signed and dated "invenit et fecit Wolsay, 1769 Pierre de" in the lower left corner. With dedication to Antoine and Annet Deschamps, Alsace, France and a cartouche with decorative shield bearing their initials.



This highly decorative and charming drawing shows a splendidly executed imaginary capriccio landscape with contemporary buildings as well as architectural elements from the roman empire. Central an old oak tree which seems to have been struck by lightning.

The artist Pierre de Wolsay remains a mystery, apart from one other drawing, reproduced in the collection of the RKD, The Hague, The Netherlands, dated 1774.



= Sold in the rooms or Sotheby's, Monaco, December 2, 1988: described as a animated river landscape, pen and black ink, dated 1774, 60 x 74 cm.

Provenance:


Private-collection France.
Christie's, London. 5 july 2011, lot 89
Estimate € 3,400-5,600: