Bon Boullogne, dit Boullogne l’Aîné
Paris 1649 – 1717
The Return of Jephthah
Black chalk, heightened with white, on blue paper.
229 x 171 mm – 9 1/64 x 6 3/4
Bon Boullogne was the son and pupil of Louis Boullogne the Elder and the brother of Louis de Boullogne the Younger. He painted this subject in a large-size picture, today in the collection of the Musée Magnin, Dijon (60 1/4 x 85 13/16 in.). The palace columns, the attitude of the horse, and the general rhythm of the present sheet are quite reminiscent of the picture. Moreover, the use of black chalk and white heightening on coloured paper are very similar. Although white heightening here is more discrete than usual, this sheet closely compares to a large number of the artist’s drawings, especially to The Triumph of a Sea Goddessin the Metropolitan Museum (1986.13 Harry G. Sperling Fund, 1986) which displays the same technique and may be connected with another artist’s work in the Musée Magnin, Dijon, The Triumph of Amphitrite. However, the latter drawing and the present sheet also closely compare to certain works by Louis de Boullogne, for example, The Hunt of Diana(Christie’s, 1 April 2016, lot 44) which is preparatory to the picture in the Musée de Beaux-Arts in Tours. It is logical that the two brothers, who maintained an intimate and loving relationship throughout their lives, developed a close style.
Condition reports – Traces of the old mount on the verso – Small tear on the upper right edge.
