Henry de TRIQUETI (1803-1874) Imploring Woman Black chalk, shading and white chalk highlights on formerly blue paper 21.2 x 10 cm Insolate, paper strip added at top Old label on reverse of frame Our study is a preparatory drawing, in reverse, for the figure of Sarah on the frieze of the "Mères Israélites" ewer in the Musée Girodet, Montargis (see exhibition catalog, Henry de Triqueti, le sculpteur des princes, Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans - Musée Girodet de Montargis, October 3, 2007 - January 6, 2008, Hazan édition, 2007, p. 39, fig. 32). Provenance: Château du Perthuis. Note: A true polymorph artist, Triqueti was as interested in architecture as he was in the decorative arts, exhibiting numerous bronze and wax objects at the 1831 and 1832 Salons. His approach was similar to that of a Renaissance sculptor, with strict control over the use of his models and the choice of bronze and ivory craftsmen. Although he began with a historical and picturesque repertoire, after 1834 - when he was commissioned to create the doors of the Madeleine church - he turned to subjects inspired by the Bible or Antiquity. Triqueti was also commissioned to work in churches, creating pulpits and religious silverware, including for the royal family. The primacy of drawing was not an empty word for Triqueti, who subordinated all the arts he practiced to it. Sculptor, painter, writer and artistic advisor to the Duc d'Aumale, Triqueti is also known in the world of old drawings as a famous collector of drawings and engravings. Through his wife, he inherited the important collection of Thomas Banks (also a sculptor and collector), which included many drawings by Renaissance masters. A regular visitor to the Hôtel Drouot, Triqueti rubbed shoulders with a circle of illustrious collectors and curators such as His de La Salle (1795-1878) and Frédéric Reiset (1815-1891). Triqueti took his first steps as an artist under the aegis of Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson, a family friend and neighbor. Triqueti demonstrated a perfect mastery of the art of drawing. He deploys every facet of drawing, depending on its purpose or the work's destination. Extremely precise in his drawings and copies, he uses a finely-sharpened pencil. He scratches with a feather in his search for compositions and decorations, multiplying variants and options. He can be powerful in his contours, in a Géricaldian vein, or content himself with a fine, thin line for his ornamental subjects. He sometimes drew in sanguine, particularly for academic studies and portraits. His highly finished watercolors are absolutely limpid and distant, imitating to perfection the rendering he aims to achieve in his "tarsia".