NICOLAS POUSSIN | NARCISSUS GAZING AT HIS REFLECTION AND CUPID SHOOTING AN ARROW, IN A LANDSCAPE

Property from a Private New York Collection
NICOLAS POUSSIN
Les Andelys, Normandy 1594 - 1665 Rome
NARCISSUS GAZING AT HIS REFLECTION AND CUPID SHOOTING AN ARROW, IN A LANDSCAPE

oil on canvas
20 ⅞ by 16 ½ in.; 53 by 41.9 cm.

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Condition Report:
The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.

This work has been lined with a non-wax adhesive. The painting is clean, retouched and varnished. It can be seen that weakness has developed to the paint layer, particularly in the background. Concise retouches are clearly visible under ultraviolet light. They can be found in the torso of the putti on the left, above the male figure's raised arm, in the lower right corner, and to the right of Narcissus's left calf. In the figure of Narcissus, the illuminated areas of the figure all show tiny dots of retouching, which probably address some thinness that has developed. His golden toga and the shadowed areas of his body show no retouches. Further retouching could better clarify the putti, and there is slight blooming to the varnish along the bottom edge that could be addressed.

"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Provenance:
Possibly Balthazar de Monconys (1611-1665), Lyon, acquired for 64 pistoles, before 1664;

Possibly André le Notre, by 1685;

Possibly Charles-Alexandre de Calonne;

Possibly his sale, London, Skinner and Dyke, 27 March 1795, lot 22 ("Narcissus--a finished study for a larger picture") for 21 pounds, and resold London, 27 April 1795, lot 90;

Possibly anonymous sale, London, 16 December 1825, lot 216;

Possibly anonymous sale, London, 27 January 1827, lot 101;

Possibly Van Campan collection;

Possibly his sale, London, 17 February 1836, lot 73 ("Cupid Shooting his Arrow at Narcissus, introduced in a finely coloured classical Landscape") for 6 pounds to Phillips;

C. Gurney, London, before 1874;

By whose estate sold, London, Christie's, 13 February 1874, lot 51, for 3 guineas to Hansell;

Private collection, Sweden;

Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 3 December 1997, lot 53;

With Hall and Knight, New York, 1998;

From whom acquired by a private collector, 1998.