On June 25, 2024, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Aguttes honored South American old master paintings, and among the three previously unseen works on the art market, one achieved a world record for an 18th-century Quito School piece. This auction dedicated to Old Masters marks the beginning of a collaboration between Aguttes auction house and the Turquin and de Bayser cabinets.

Top 5*
Lot 73 - École de Quito du XVIIIe siècle, La demande en mariage - 411 920 € - RECORD MONDIAL
Lot 75 - Ernest CHARTON THIESSEN DE TREVILLE (1816 – 1877), Vue du pont Calicanto à Santiago du Chili - 143 000 €
Lot 74 - Ernest CHARTON THIESSEN DE TREVILLE (1816 – 1877), Taureau sauvage conduit à deux lassos - 107 900 €
Lot 51 – Attribué à Jan van Kessel Le Jeune (1654 – 1708), Bouquet de fleurs - 11 960 €
Lot 29 – Jean-Jacques Lequeu (1757 – 1826), Les mariés de l'An II dans un parc orné de fontaines à l'antique - 9 750 €

New world record for an 18th-century Quito School (Ecuador) piece, with a marriage proposal
The Marriage Proposal (lot 73), a painting that stands out from the "caste painting" typical of many other old paintings from this region, which includes Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, sparked a bidding frenzy between three phone bidders and the internet. €411,920 rewarded the uniqueness of the depicted scene and the extreme attention to detail in the representation of the characters, fabrics, and adornments. In Ecuador, representations of Indigenous people became very rare by the late 18th century. However, the collections of the San Francisco Museum in Quito preserve a few instances. Undoubtedly unique, this work, which marks a world record for an 18th-century Quito School painting, is a marvelous example of Ecuadorian painting from this period.

Frenzied Bidding for Two Unseen Works by Ernest Charton, a French Painter Who Moved to Chile
Two everyday scenes painted by Ernest Charton (Sens, 1816 - 1877, Buenos Aires) have far exceeded their high estimates. The interest of the artist, an archetype of the traveling painter who ventured to the ends of the world where he remained, focused on the local society, as evidenced by these two works. He thus immortalized genre scenes that today constitute valuable cultural and heritage testimonies. Kept in the same family since the 19th century and probably purchased from the artist by the ancestor of the current owners, these two works depict two genre scenes: one taking place in Santiago (lot 75) and the other featuring two herdsmen (lot 74).


Ernest CHARTON THIESSEN DE TREVILLE
Sens, 1816 - 1877, Buenos Aires
Wild Bull Led by Two Lassos
Canvas
Signed and located at the bottom right ER. CHARTON / Souvenir du CHILI
43.5 x 73 cm
PROVENANCE
Cellérier family since the origin, then by descent

Recently rediscovered, the artist, eager for authenticity, had already caused a stir at auctions with a collection of travel memories, including views of Valparaiso. During the June 25, 2024 auction, bidders contested fiercely over the View of the Calicanto Bridge in Santiago, Chile, which reached €143,000, and the Wild Bull Led by Two Lassos, which sold for €107,900. These two paintings by Ernest Charton, probably more explorer than painter, far exceeded their estimates. Far from the Parisian streets, he savored this life at the other end of the world, which became the inexhaustible source of his inspiration. This quest for authenticity extended into the moments of life he observed, the native men and women who populated his daily life and whom we encounter in his paintings.

Ernest CHARTON THIESSEN DE TREVILLE
Sens, 1816 - 1877, Buenos Aires
View of the Calicanto Bridge in Santiago, Chile
Canvas
Signed, located, and dated at the bottom left Er. CHARTON / Santiago Chile 1859
44 x 73 cm
PROVENANCE
Cellérier family since the origin, then by descent.

Other notable auctions include the Bouquet of Flowers (lot 51) attributed to Jan van Kessel the Younger (1654–1708). This painting on copper changed hands for €11,960.


ATTRIBUTED TO JAN VAN KESSEL THE YOUNGER
Antwerp, 1654 - 1708, Madrid
Bouquet of Flowers
Copper
24 x 18 cm

A drawing by Jean-Jacques Lequeu (1757-1826), an artist for whom Aguttes holds the auction record with a drawing that sold for €85,000 in March 2023, also captured the attention of enthusiasts.


JEAN-JACQUES LEQUEU
Rouen, 1757 - 1826, Paris
The Newlyweds of Year II in a Park Adorned with Antique Fountains
Pen, Indian ink, gray wash, and white gouache
Signed and dated at the bottom right Drawn by Jean Jacques Lequeu Architect, Year 2 of the Republic
34 x 49.5 cm

€9,750 rewarded The Newlyweds of Year II in a Park Adorned with Antique Fountains (lot 29). This unusual drawing depicts a couple at the foot of a tree in a park scattered with fountains. Dated Year II, or 1793/94. Due to its subject, this drawing can be associated with the republican unions that took place at the foot of the liberty trees.

Upcoming auction
Thursday, September 26, 2024, at 2:30 PM
Aguttes Neuilly

For more information or to include a lot in our upcoming auctions, contact
Victoria Damidot
+33 1 47 45 91 57- damidot@aguttes.com