Claude-Joseph Vernet (French, 1714-1789) The grand cascade at Tivoli, 1753 Oil on canvas 39 x 53 inches (99.1 x 134.6 cm) Signed and dated lower right: Joseph Vernet 1753 Property from the Estate of Toni Chapman Brinker, Dallas, Texas PROVENANCE: The artist; M. Guillaume-Léon du Tillot, Marquis de Felino (1711-1774), Paris, commissioned from the above, 1753; His sale: Paris, March 27, 1775, lot 49; M. Georges-Tobie de Thélusson (1728-1776), Paris, acquired from the above via his agent, Julien Folliot; His sale: Paris, December 1, 1777, lot 44 (together with its pendant); De Saint-Victor, acquired from the above; Sale: La Pierre, Paris, March 9, 1778, lot 1b; Pierre Jacques Onésyme Bergeret de Grancourt (1715-1785), Paris; His sale: Paris, April 24, 1786, lot 81 (together with its pendant); Godefroy, acquired from the above; Philippe-Laurent de Joubert, Baron de Sommières et de Montredon (1729-1792), Paris; His sale: Paris, April 15, 1793, lot 54 (together with its pendant); Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Le Brun (1748-1813), Paris, acquired from the above; His sale: Paris, July 21, 1795, lot 114 (together with its pendant); J. Desmarest, Paris, acquired from the above; His sale: Paris, March 20, 1797, lot 30; Alexandre-Louis Roëttiers de Montaleau (1748-1808), Paris, acquired from the above; His sale: Paris, July 23, 1802, lot 161; Bon-Thomas Henry (1766-1836), Cherbourg, France, acquired from the above; (With) A. Baird-Carter Fine Art Dealers, London, by 1914; Private collection, Austria; Sotheby's, Monaco, June 13, 1982, lot 73 (as Paysage des environs de Tivoli); (With) Colnaghi, London; Philip Hewat-Jaboor, Ltd., London (as An imaginary landscape incorporating the grand cascade at Tivoli); Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1985. LITERATURE: L. Lagrange, Joseph Vernet et la peinture au XVIIIe siècle, Paris, 1864, p. 470; E. Bignou & F. Ingersoll Smouse, Joseph Vernet, peintre de marine, 1714-1789, vol. I, Florence, 1926, pp. 65-66, no. 418 (as Paysage d'un site agréable). The preeminent French landscapist of the late-eighteenth century, Claude-Joseph Vernet specialized in serene, highly-finished, and sometimes fictionalized topographical compositions as demonstrated in the present work, The grand cascade at Tivoli. We are proud to offer this painting to the public for the first time in forty years, along with the most complete record of past ownership ever compiled. Born in Avignon, Vernet first trained there under his father Antoine, a decorative painter. The young man's ambition and skill could not be satisfied with such work, prompting several trips to Rome, where he studied classical landscape in the tradition of masters Rosa, Claude, and Dughet. The present work was completed in 1753, following his return from one such trip, the same year that he was made a member of the French Royal Academy. His celebrity was assured by a commission from King Louis XV to paint a series on the ports of France, a nine-year project that saw Vernet travel extensively across the country. Following this commission, Vernet revisited the popular themes of storms, shipwrecks, and moonlit nightscapes, foreshadowing the development of Romantic landscape painting while still appealing to the contemporary taste for the "terrible" and picturesque, a style that was heavily drawn upon by one of Vernet's most notable students, Charles-François de Lacroix, called Lacroix de Marseille (see lot 69051). The composition of The grand cascade at Tivoli is unique in that it includes only the most oblique view of the cascade in question. Vernet eschews the typical frontal view of the roaring torrent in favor of a more intimate look at the activity surrounding the river which feeds it. The only clear indication of the falls at all, for those unfamiliar with the region, is the mild churning of water around the rocks at left, and the swirling eddies that float downriver toward the rim of the cataract which slices in a sharp horizontal across the scene just behind the man with the tall fishing rod. The landscape is rather sentimental in its tender treatment of such a grandiose force of nature, turning focus instead towards the subtle observation of those locals who interact with and draw their livelihoods from it. Marked throughout by Vernet's incomparable, atmospheric topography, his treatment of the figures is particularly noteworthy. Two ladies in fine dress, accompanied by their loyal dog, bask in the soft sunshine on a rock, their eyes fixed on each other as they discourse intently. Sharing the riverbank are several fishermen in varied states of undress; Vernet devotes close attention to the well-muscled back of the man nearest to the two women, though it is the standing figure who truly draws the eye. Clad in a dark tunic, the man rests a long fishing pole against his shoulder, the length of which extends above his head, pulling the eye upward and back towards the left side of the composition, completing a survey of the scene, and taking us back to the base of the falls. Beyond the unorthodox viewpoint, this work draws additional fascination through its remarkable provenance. Guillaume-Léon du Tillot, Marquis de Felino (1711-1774), commissioned the work along with its pendant, a shipwreck scene. The former Prime Minister of the Duchy of Parma, Tillot founded the Academy of Fine Arts and the Museum of Antiquity, both in Parma. The pair was completed less two years before Tillot's death in 1774, which proved the catalyst for a flurry of ownership changes over the following decades. Subsequent owners included Swiss banker and Genevan ambassador Georges-Tobie de Thélusson (1728-1776), who acquired the work and its pendant with the assistance of noted Parisian art expert Julien Folliot. Thélusson's ownership of the pair was equally brief, under two years, before his passing in the autumn of 1776. The pair is next recorded as belonging to Pierre Jacques Onésyme Bergeret de Grancourt, Lord of Grancourt and Count of Négrepelisse (1715-1785). Grancourt maintained possession of the pair for approximately six years, the longest period of continuous ownership of the works in their first fifty years of existence. It also establishes a particular trend of ownership by bankers or those otherwise involved in the financial landscape of France, and of the works being most often retained until the death of their owner, for however short a time that may have been. Outside of his service as Receiver General of Finances in Montauban and Commander and Treasurer General of the Order of Saint-Louis, Grancourt was also a close friend and patron of Jean-Honoré Fragonard, who painted several members of the Grancourt family. Next to own the pair was Phillipe-Laurent de Joubert, Baron de Sommières et de Montredon, Treasurer of the States of Languedoc (1729-1792), from whose estate sale in 1793 it was acquired briefly by Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Le Brun, the frequently overextended art dealer and one-time husband of Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, portraitist to Marie Antoinette. During this period, Vigée Le Brun was living and working in Austria, having fled France in 1789, fearing for her safety during the fall of the Ancien Régime. It was also during this time that Le Brun divorced Élisabeth in a bid to preserve his own assets, which would have included the present work and its pendant. The Desmarest sale of 1797 marks the point at which the pair was split, with the present work passing to Alexandre-Louis Roëttiers de Montaleau, General Engraver of Coins and Director of the Paris Mint, and then to Bon-Thomas Henry of Cherbourg in 1802, from whence it enjoyed relative anonymity for the better part of two centuries before making a return to the public market in 1982. As to the fate of its pendant, The shipwreck (Le naufrage), made its way into the holdings of the Louvre, from whom it has been on long term loan to the Musée Calvet in the artist's birthplace of Avignon, where it is still on view today. The grand cascade at Tivoli came to be in the possession of revered art dealer, collector, and advisor, Philip Hewat-Jaboor, from whom it was most recently acquired in 1985. Presently, this remarkable work is offered from the estate of philanthropist Toni Brinker. The former wife of restauranteur Norman Brinker and energy titan T. Boone Pickens, Toni was a prominent figure in the Dallas community, and best known for her humanitarian efforts, particularly her dedication to creating safe and thriving neighborhoods throughout North Texas. In 2015, Brinker founded Operation Blue Shield, later known as One Community USA, to foster positive relationships between first responders, law enforcement, and the community at large. Her efforts in the organization earned her a Ted Talk, highlighting her commitment to creating a safer America. As the beloved founder and CEO of One Community USA, Brinker gained recognition for her visionary leadership and generous spirit. She focused much of her philanthropic work on the North Texas region, implementing programs such as Pathways to H.O.P.E., Shop Talk, and UNA Comunidad to effect positive change in underserved communities. Throughout her career, Brinker was known for developing nationally acclaimed programs that profoundly impacted the lives of many individuals and families in need. Her passion for building unity and trust within communities has cemented her legacy in Dallas and beyond. Toni Brinker's dedication to creating a better society through philanthropy has been an inspiration to many, and she will be remembered for years to come. Several significant works from this esteemed collection appear in the current auction. For more property from the Estate of Toni Brinker, please see lots 69050, 69051, 69060, 69067, and 69085. HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved