Hôtel Drouot

Please be reluctant to quote from this webpage, which is under construction.
The information is incomplete and maybe partly incorrect.

 

Meta-Impressionism / other exhibitions

Hôtel Drouot

Auction sales

 

Introduction:
Apart from the Salon and their own ‘impressionist’ expositions, auction sales were a way to promote oneself as an artist and to sell art-works. The most used place to do so, was Hôtel Drouot. Hôtel Drouot was an auction house owned by the state (R3; R5,p102). The sales here gave a good indication of what a work was worth on the art-market (R5,p102). At Hôtel Drouot there were also (posthumous) sales of collections of art-collectors and of deceased artists.
At first I will render a chronological overview of important sales at Hôtel Drouot. After that I will focus on some sales that were important for the ‘impressionist’ partakers held in 1875 and 1877. It’s remarkable that the Impressionists used three times the option of an auction at Hôtel Drouot in the first years of their expositions. It didn’t stimulate the group identity. And when that wasn’t important, but only the opportunity of selling your works, why organize your own exhibition at all, when this opportunity is at hand?

1873:
Some of the paintings of Pissarro realised comparatively high prices (R312,p27).

 

1874/Januar:
There had been an auction (of Hoschedé?) with good sales for Degas, Monet, Pissarro, Sisley (R2,p105).

 

1875/03/24:
Auction of 73 works of Monet, Morisot, Renoir, Sisley initiated by Renoir; poor sales, average 157 franc (R3,p192; R2,p146; R31; R30; R5,p90). Sisley sold 21 paintings for an average of only 127 francs. Victor Chocquet, Henri Rouart and Durand-Ruel were among the buyers.

1877/05/28:
Auction organised by Renoir of 45 works of Renoir, Caillebotte (4x), Pissarro and Sisley; prices were disastrously low, average 169 franc; Legrand was the expert (R2,p244+262; R5,p101); R31; R30). Sisley sold 11 paintings for an average of 126 francs.
4 works by Caillebotte: 2CR34+35+53+64 (R102,p293) Note: 2CR34 was offered for 655fr, but probably was bought back by Caillebotte for it was part of his bequest (R102,p76); 2CR35 was bought back by the family of the artist (R102,no35); 2CR53 was bought back by Caillebotte (R102,no53).
The works of Pissarro were numbered 5-18 and included CCP462 +466, +?499; R116I,p427)

 

Hôtel Drouot auctions, an overview of sales of artists:
At Hôtel Drouot there were several (posthumous) sales of the collections of the partakers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions and of other artists.

  • 1860/04/07: Père Martin, Count Doria and Cals organised an auction sale at Hôtel Drouot to raise money to get Jongkind back from Holland to Paris (R177,p29+208/9).
  • 1868/03/25: Auction of 40 paintings and about 100 pastels and watercolours by Boudin; it was quite successfull (R161,p54;R22I,p70;R51,p20).
  • Lépine held 5 or 6 public sales at Hôtel Drouot from 1872 till 1886:
    1874/02/11 (32 works);
    1875/03/27 (or the 17th) (23 works sold for 135 à 930 francs; in total 7180 francs, averaging 312 francs; this was less than works of Morisot and Monet shortly after);
    1879/02/07;
    1881/02/14;
    1886/03/15 (iR65;aR2;R21;R3;R9;aR6;R241).
  • 1872/03/11: sale of 80 watercolours and gouaches of Piette (aR8;iR40;aR4;R116).
  • 1873/04/05: sale of  77 watercolours of Piette (aR9;iR19;aR4;R116)
  • 1874/01: first sale of the Hoschedé collection, including works of Piette (R88)
  • 1874/02/21: sale of  85 watercolours of Piette (aR10;iR19;iR40;aR4;R116)
  • 1875/03/75: sale of  78 watercolours of Piette (aR11;iR19;iR40;aR4;R116)
  • 1876/05/06: sale of works of Auguste de Molins.
  • 1876/06/06: sale of paintings of Béliard; sold for 14 – 27 francs (aR6,p165/6).
  • 1877/03/24: sale of  50 watercolours of Piette (aR12;aR4;R116)
  • 1878/04/11+12: Sale of the collection of Astruc gathered in England, Spain and Flamand (R87,p229;aR22).
  • 1879/02/20: a posthumous sale, with a preface by Duranty; 122 watercolours + 29 studies of Piette (aR13;iR19;iR70;aR2)
  • 1879: sale at Hôtel Drouot of 25 of his paintings of Lépine, including 9 depicting Rouen (aR4,p12)
  • Colin often sold his work at auctions, namely in 1879+82+84+86+88+95+97+99+1909 (R88;aR5;aR8;aR9)
  • 1880/12/23: sale of art-works and furniture of Desboutin, before leaving for Nice; with a preface by Jules Claretie; Durand-Ruel would buy around 81 art-works; the sale yielded  18.147 francs (R158,p35+36+124;aR15)
  • 1882/02/17: posthumous sale of 31 paintings + 29 watercolours + 7 heightened drawings of Piette (aR14;iR19;iR40;aR2)
  • 1882/03/29: sale Colin of 35 works rendered as HD1882-no.. (see aR5)
  • 1882/04/14: sale of 67 paintings + 40 watercolours + 23 drawings of Piette (aR15;iR19;aR2)
  • 1883/02/26: posthumous sale of Léopold Levert his own works from his studio. Total numbers: 146; 61 oil paintings (no.1-60bis); at least 63 watercoulors and drawings (no.61-119+146); at least 29 works of others (no.120-145), including 3 copies made by Debras, see account. Many of his paintings were studies. (aR2;iR65;iR40).
  • 1884/02/02-04? posthumous auction of works of Edouard Manet; average sales 733,57 franc (R5,p138; R39,p299).
  • 1886/03/15, sale of ’tableaux + 24 études par Lépine‘, and works of other artists (link to iR40//bpt6k1242132p)
  • Sale Colin 1886/03/25: 23 works rendered as HD1886-no.. (see aR8)
  • 1887/05/14: auction of (a part of) the collection of Tillot  (aR10=iR19;aR11=iR24)
  • 1888/04/19: auction of 60 paintings, 30 pastels + 10 watercolours of Boudin (R161,p79;aR11=iR19)
  • 1891/02/23: an auction sale of 30 paintings of Gauguin; the revenue amounted to 9860 francs (R36,p81;R49;R181). Untill two days before this sale, there had been an exhibition at Boussod et Valadon (R181).
  • 1891/12/16: auction with works from the studio of ‘L. Ottin’ (aR15=iR40).
  • 1894/06/21: auction of works of Jean-François Raffaëlli; no.1-25 paintings (including messures); no.26-40, drawing enhanced with watercolours; no.41+41 sculptures (aR16).
  • 1895/02/18 there was a second auction sale of 45 paintings and 25 drawings  of Gauguin; the revenues were just 2986 francs (R36,p81;R49). 
  • In 1897 (1897/11/14) there was a sale with 99 aquarelles and at least 6 pastels by Henry Somm (iR19).
  • 1897/12/13+14: posthumous auction of the collection of Brandon (aR4).
  • 1898/05/01: auction of 150 watercolours and drawings of Forain (aR13=iR19)
  • 1899/03/20: posthumous auction of the contents of Boudin’s studio, including 125 paintings, 98ca watercolours and 56ca pastels and drawings; forward by Arsène Alexandre (aR12=iR19;iR65;R161).
  • 1900/05/14: an auction sale (with Durand-Ruel as expert) on behalf of the widow Lépine; Pissarro donated a painting (CCP1194), which is soled for 970 francs. Also works sold of Cassatt, Degas, Guillaumin, Renoir and Carrière, Delacroix, Denis, D’Espagnat, Dinet, Fantin-Latour, Guys, L’Hermitte, Luce, Mauffra and Meunier. In total 28 oil paintings and 27 other works. (iR65;R116I,p295).
  • 1900/06/16: there was an auction of ’the collection C. Tillot‘, including ‘Les estampes japonaise’ (catalogue numbers 1-174) (aR3=iR40)
  • 1901/04/26+27: there was an auction of ’the collection de M. Ch. Tillot‘; the 26th ‘Les estampes japonaise’ (catalogue numbers 1-164 + 314-336) and the 27th ‘Les objets d’art, etc’ (catalogue numbers 165-313) (aR2=iR40)
  • 1903/06/04: ‘Vente au profit du peintre Vignon. Oeuvres offertes par les artistes et par quelques amateurs’. An auction sale was organised on behalf of Vignon, who lived in the most abject poverty; it was organised by Julie Manet-Rouart and Durand-Ruel; works were donated by Monet (CR1470), Pissarro (CCP1045), Renoir and Fantin-Latour (R116I,p315+CCP1045;R22,CR1470;aR1; note: Vignon referred to this sale to be held at Bernheim-Jeune; R116III,p670).
  • 1907/03/11: auction of works of Redon, including 26 paintings, 24 pastel, 2 sanguine drawings and 1 watercolour (aR1;R182IV,p425)
  • 1909/12/03: sale Colin 45 works rendered as HD1909-no.. (see aR9).
  • Posthumous in 1911/05/29 there was a sale on behalf of the widow of Vignon. It contained 11 paintings of other artists, including one of Morisot, Pissarro (CCP612) and Renoir. It also contained 6 other works, including a pastel of Cassatt and a litho of Redon. There were also works of A. André, Bonnard, Chialiva, Maurice Denis, Dufrénoy, d’Espagnat, Flandrin, Lacoste, Laprade, Maufra, Roll and Vuillard. It also included 9 paintings of Vignon and 2 pastels and 2 drawings (aR6=iR40;R116,CCP612).
  • 1913/04/21 + 22 there was a third sale of the Rouart collection containing 143 works / paintings, including works of the Impressionists: 2 of Brandon, 6 of Boudin, 32 of Cals, 19 of Colin, 1 of Lebourg (Vue du port d’Alger), 1 of Lépine (La Butte Montmartre), 1 of Pissarro (La Maison du peintre Piette à Montfoucault), 2 of Vignon (R88I,p791;aR37=iR40).
  • x

 

Hôtel Drouot auctions, an overview of sales of art-collectors:
At Hôtel Drouot there were several (posthumous) sales of the collections of art-collectors and general auctions, including works of the ‘impressionists’.

  • 1873/04/07, Hôtel Drouot. Catalogue de la collection de Laurent-Richard, with works of Delacroix, Corot, Dupré, Rousseau and other pre-impressionists, with engravings and extended information. (link to PDF at archive.org = iR19)
  • 1874/01/13: Hôtel Drouot. Catalogue de tableaux modernes; Auction of the Ernest Hoschedé collection. (link to iR40//bpt6k1241564q). Succesfull auction sale of impressionist paintings, including at least 2 paintings by Monet (CR138?+184; R22), 6 paintings of Pissarro (including CCP83+236+249+270; R116I,p427).
  • 1874/02/07, Hôtel Drouot. Catalogue de collection M. le Barbier.  (link to iR40//bpt6k1241492p)
  • 1874/03/26, Hôtel Drouot. Catalogue of the collection of the widow of C. Dutilleux, with works of Delacroix, Corot and other pre-impressionists and with a biography by Gustave Colin. (link to PDF at archive.org = iR19)
  • 1875/04/20, Catalogue de tableaux modernes; Auction of the Ernest Hoschedé collection.   (link to iR40//bpt6k12404553; link to iR19)
  • 1876/05/10, tableaux modernes, Paris (link to PDF iR19)
  • 1878/02/25: tableaux modernes, collection G. Arosa including 3 works of Pissarro (CCP160+?214+?; R116I,p427) (link to PDF dn.790006.ca.archive.org; =iR19)
  • 1878/06/05+06:Catalogue de tableaux modernes; Auction of the Ernest Hoschedé collection. Including at least 14 (or 16) paintings by Monet (including CR84+153+157+166+202+205+210+263+362+383+399+417+432+445), 9 paintings of Pissarro (including CCP335+441+486+492+495; R116I,p427); 13 of  Sisley (including probably CR102, 175, 208). The works were sold for disastrously low prices, average 112 franc (R3; R31; R2,p246; R5,p109). (link to iR263; in javascript).
  • 1878/04/29 auction Fauré collection with impressionist works; he had to sell back his paintings because the biddings were to low (R3; R5,p109).
  • 1880/02/02, Hôtel Drouot. Catalogue de tablaeux modernes; Auction of the M. Hadengue-Sandras collection. (link to iR40//bpt6k1240837j)
  • 1881/01/28+29: posthumous auction of the collection of Duranty: ‘Tableaux modernes, esquisses, aquarelles, pastels, dessins, eaux-fortes, livres: vente par suite du décès de Émile Duranty, homme de lettres’. It included works of Pissarro 2x (?CCP616) (R116I,p427;R90II,p288)
  • 1881/05/14, Hôtel Drouot. Catalogue of the benefit auction sale for the composer Cabaner, organized by Franc Lamy; it included works of Cordey, Maureau, …  (link to iR40//bpt6k1244587n)
  • 1883/02/16, tableaux modernes, Paris (link to iR40//bpt6k1244001d)
  • 1889/04/16, tableaux modernes… (collection M. B.), Paris (link to iR40//bpt6k1244124r)
  • 1890/06/04: auction collection Ernest May ‘Tableaux anciens et modernes, aquarelles, pastels et dessins composant l’importante collection de M. E. May. It included works of Pissarro (no.55-60; including CCP195 +235 +295 +316 +492 +437; R116I,p427)
  • 1891/05/06: auction collection Achille Arosa ‘Beaux tableaux modernes, aquarelles et dessins, bronzed de Barye et Rosa Bonheur composant la collection de M. A.A. It included works of Pissarro (CCP?228 +238 +239 +240 +241; R116I,p427)
  • 1893/03/20+21: postumous auction ‘Tableaux modernes, aquarelles, dessins, pastels. Collection Ch. Ricada’. It included works of Pissarro (CCP152+?452; R116I,p427); 25 paintings of Lépine; 12 of them were sold for an average of 780fr, varying from 410 till 1600 (R240/iR40);  (link to iR40//bpt6k1246846c)
  • 1894/03/18: posthumes auction of the collection of Duret . It included CR416 of Monet that was exhibited as 3IE-1877-101, which was sold for 12.000fr. (R5,p194/5)
    Note: other sources indicate there was an auction at Georges Petit 1894/03/19 (R116I,p428;R88).
  • 1894/04/16: Posthumous auction of A. Nunes. ‘Importante collection de tableaux modernes, dessins, bronzes de Barye dépendant de la succession de M. A. N…’. It included works of Pissarro (no.37-40; including CCP245 +330 +429 +430; R116I,p428). (link to iR40//bpt6k1246138d)
  • 1894/05/25, tableaux modernes, Paris (link to iR40//bpt6k12459450)
  • 1894/06/02: posthumes auction of Père Tanguy ’tableuax modernes, pastels, aquarelles, dessins, gravures, sculpture au profit de Mme veuve Tanguy’. It included works of Pissarro (nos.49-51; including CCP498 +936) (R116I,p428;R5,p195; R3).
  • 1896/02/22, tableaux modernes, Paris (link to iR40//bpt6k12423220)
  • 1896/03/26: posthumous sale of the collection of Emmanuel Chabrier. (R90II,p287).
  • 1896/04/17,  tableaux modernes, Paris (link to  iR40//bpt6k1246489r)
  • 1897/12/04, tableaux modernes …, Paris (link to iR40//bpt6k12461088)
  • 1899/05/04: posthumous sale of the Count Armand Doria collection, including works of Lépine; in the catalogue was a preface by Arsène Alexandre (aR4,p12;R232;R154)
  • 1900/05/09+10: auction E. Blot ‘Tableaux, aquarelles, pastels et dessins composant la collection de M. E. Blot’. It included works of Pissarro (nos.133-139; including CCP84 +194 +382 +742 +1054 +1119; R116I,p428).
  • 1901/03/09-13: ‘Succession de M. Émile Zola‘. It included works of Pissarro (no.108+109, including CCP108; R116I,p429).
  • 1901/04/25, Hôtel Drouot. Catalogue de tableaux modernes; auction d’un amateur (=Depeaux; R22III,p414). (link to iR19)
  • 1901/04/29, Hôtel Drouot. Catalogue de tableaux modernes; (ia801902.us.archive.org; =iR19)
  • 1901/05/20, tableaux modernes, Paris (link to iR40//bpt6k12475457)
  • 1902/11/26: sale collection Ernest Blum including works of Forain and Raffaëlli (R90II,p286).
  • 1903/03/23, tableaux, aquarelles & dessins, Paris (from several collections (link to iR40//bpt6k1247852d)
  • 1903/12/23, tableaux … (collection M. B.), Paris (link to iR40//bpt6k1246932p)
  • 1905/04/10, Catalogue de tableaux modernes (collection feu de Louis Flornoy + Mme Marechal), Paris (link to iR40//bpt6k12531736)
  • 1907/04/11: auction collection de feu M. Georges Charpentier.  (link to iR40//bpt6k12482428).
  • 1907/04/18, Hôtel Drouot. Catalogue de collection M. A. Dachery. (link to iR40//bpt6k1246639j)
  • 1907/04/18, tableaux modernes, Paris (link to iR40//bpt6k1246339h)
  • 1908/02/18, tableaux modernes, Paris (link to iR40//bpt6k12458996)
  • 1909/02/06, tableaux modernes, Paris (link to iR40//bpt6k1250103m)
  • 1909/05/26 posthumous sale of Coquelin Cadet, including a watercolour of Forain (no.63). (R90II,p288)
  • 1910/11/11, “Collection de M. Albert Bernier.” In Database of Modern Exhibitions (DoME). European Paintings and Drawings 1905-1915. Last modified Aug 3, 2020. http://exhibitions.univie.ac.at/exhibition/1249  =iR261;iR40; auction of 58 works by 36 artists, including Caillebotte, Cals, Gauguin, Guillaumin, Pissarro, Renoir, Vignon.
  • 1911/03/08, Hôtel Drouot. Posthumous auction catalogue of Alexis Rouart.  (link iR40//bpt6k1251029t)
  • 1911/03/10, tableaux modernes, Paris (link to iR40/bpt6k1250834k)
  • 1911/03/15, “Tableaux Modernes. Aquarelles – Pastels – Dessins.” In Database of Modern Exhibitions (DoME). European Paintings and Drawings 1905-1915. Last modified Sep 8, 2020. http://exhibitions.univie.ac.at/exhibition/959 =iR261;iR40.
  • 1913/03/12, tableaux … (collection Mme veuve S.), Paris (link to iR40//bpt6k12500535)
  • 1914/05/08: posthumous sale collection Jules Claretie .
  • 1923/06/07, tableaux modernes, Paris (link to iR19)
  • 1923/06/16, tableaux modernes, Paris (link to iR19)

 

Sources:
My main sources the catalogues, see links. Other main sources are Moffett (R2), Walther (R3), Denvir (R5), Braun (R30), Raeburn (R31) and the Catalogues Raisonnées of Monet (R22), Caillebotte (R102), Pissarro (R116I,p427-429). For other general references (=R) see. For other references to internet sites (=iR) see. Note: the aR.. sources refer to the additional references noted at the bottom of the main pages on the mentioned artists.

 

Recommanded citation: Hôtel auction sales, a way for the impressionists to promote oneself. Last modified 2023/11/25.  https://www.impressionism.nl/hotel-drouot/”

Note: additional info and pictures will follow.