The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Count Demetrius de Palatiano in Suliot Costume

not dated

imitator of Eugène Delacroix

(French, 1798–1863)

France, 19th century

oil on fabric

Unframed: 40.7 x 33.2 cm (16 x 13 1/16 in.)

Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1973.33

Location: not on view

Description

The Greek war of independence in the 1820s was a source of great interest for the rest of Europe. The exotic costumes of Greek soldiers, or Palikares, were popular subjects for artists. Count Palatiano was a flamboyant Greek aristocrat who often posed for Delacroix and his colleagues in Paris.

Until 1881
Probably Paul de Laage, sold to Goupil & Cie.
1881-1887
(Goupil & Cie, Paris)
1887
(Goupil & Cie sale, Hôtel Drouot, May 25-27, 1887 (no. 43), sold to Hector Brame)
1887-
(Hector Brame, Paris)
Until 1908
Paul-Arthur Chéramy [1840-1912], Paris
1908
(Chéramy sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, May 5-7, 1908 (no. 159), probably sold to Schoeller or Haro on behalf of Comte André Pastré
Probably 1908 - at least
Comte André Pastré [1888-1960], Paris
Until 1952
David David-Weill [1871-1952], Paris, to his wife, Flora David-Weill
By 1963 - probably 1970
Flora David-Weill [1878-1970], Paris
By 1972
(Robert Schmit, Paris, probably sold to E.V. Thaw)
1973-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Provenance Footnotes
1 At the Salon of 1827 Delacroix presented a painting titled “Portrait de M. le comte de P[alatiano] en costume souliote,” a Greek aristocrat whom the artist may have met in Paris in late 1825 or early 1826, when the Count was on his way to London. In his 1885 catalogue of Delacroix’s oeuvre, Alfred Robaut used an engraving by Frédéric Villot, a student and friend of Delacroix, to illustrate the artist’s portrait of the Count of Palatiano. Executed in 1833, Villot’s engraving can be assumed to be an accurate representation of the Salon portrait. The background in the engraving more closely matches the simple background found in the Cleveland painting than it does the more detailed background in another version of the painting, known to be an autograph work, currently in the National Gallery of Prague. For many years, it was supposed that the painting now in Cleveland was the Salon picture. But after years of analysis and debate, it has been concluded, based on the painting’s formal characteristics as well as its provenance, that the Cleveland picture is one of numerous copies after a lost original—possibly the Salon painting. According to Robaut, the painting’s early provenance included, Villot, Heymann, Verdier, and Petit, but he may have partially confused its history with that of yet another portrait of Palatiano attributed to Delacroix, this one in a New York private collection. The Cleveland picture's whereabouts can be secured by January 26, 1881, when it was purchased from “de Laage” by Goupil & Co. De Laage is likely Paul de Laage, a prodigious collector of works by Delacroix who appears frequently in connection with works by Delacroix in the Goupil stock books.
2 Goupil's purchase the of the painting from de Laage is confirmed by the presence on the painting’s stretcher of the monogram and number “G&C 15510,” a stock number Goupil would later assign the painting, and which is cross-referenced in the stock books with its originally assigned number, 15099. The Goupil ledger lists a “Figure turque” accompanied by stock no. 15099 (Goupil Book 10, Stock No. 15099, Page 146, Row 15, http://archives.getty.edu:30008/getty_images/digitalresources/goupil/jpgs/900239-vol10-146.jpg, Dealer Stock Books, Getty Research Institute), purchased on January 26, 1881. Then, just one week later, the ledger shows a sale of “Figure turque” to Comte Pedro de Daupias for ff 6,700. One week after that, on February 7, Daupias sold the painting back to Goupil, where it now was assigned stock no. 15136, and on that same day, “Hattat” bought it for ff 7,500 (Goupil Book 10, Stock No. 15136, Page 149, Row 7, http://archives.getty.edu:30008/getty_images/digitalresources/goupil/jpgs/900239-vol10-149.jpg). Just one day later, on February 8, Hattat sold the painting back to Goupil for ff 4,200, and it was given stock no. 15138 (Goupil Book 10, Stock No. 15138, Page 149, Row 9, http://archives.getty.edu:30008/getty_images/digitalresources/goupil/jpgs/900239-vol10-149.jpg). On April 4, 1881, Goupil sold the painting for ff 7,500 to Goldschmidt & Co. of Frankfurt, who sold it back to Goupil on June 22 for ff 2,430, and it was assigned stock no. 15510, the number inscribed on the stretcher. Six years later, probably within days of the Goupil liquidation sale on May 35, 1887, it was offered for sale and failed to sell (Goupil Book 10, Stock No. 15510, Page 174, Row 6, http://archives.getty.edu:30008/getty_images/digitalresources/goupil/jpgs/900239-vol10-174.jpg); it was likely bought in by Drouot commissaire-priseur Escribe, who gave ff 4,200 to Goupil for the painting according to the stock book. The painting finally sold at the Goupil liquidation sale to dealer Hector Brame for ff 2,550 (Goupil Book 11, Stock No. 15510, Page 33, Row 14, http://archives.getty.edu:30008/getty_images/digitalresources/goupil/jpgs/900239-vol11-033.jpg). Lee Johnson, author of the Delacroix catalogue raisonné, argues that all of this back and forth indicates that even in the 1880s, the painting’s attribution was in doubt. He says that Goupil, too, knew it was not an autograph work, titling it “Figure turque” so as to distance it from Delacroix’s portrait of Palatiano. Former CMA curator William S. Talbot suspected, however, that the Goupil ledger entries do not record actual sales, as it seems unlikely that the picture would have been bought and then returned at such brief intervals, even if its attribution was questioned, but rather indicate consignments to dealers. Still, one must wonder whether the picture would have been assigned a new stock number after each consignment; new stock numbers are more typically given if a painting enters the same dealer’s possession at different points in time. While it may be debatable whether dealer sales do or should impact attribution, it seems clear from the numerous transactions within less than a year and the six-year period that followed in which it remained with the Goupil until it was put up for auction, that the painting’s authorship was questioned, if not doubted. Other attributions suggested by scholars have included Alexandre-Marie Colin, Richard Parkes Bonington, Adolphe Mouilleron, and the engraver Villot.
3 The record books of Brame & Lorenceau do not cover this period, and so the present-day gallery was unable to confirm the buyer and date of sale of this painting.
4 According to the Johnson catalogue raisonné, the Dieterle Family records at the Getty Research Institute, which include records from Galerie Georges Petit, say that dealer André Schoeller purchased the painting at the Chéramy sale on behalf of Pastré. However, at least one annotated copy of the sale catalogue gives the buyer as “Haro” (and a purchase price of ff 18,100), most likely referring to Henri Haro, son of Étienne-François Haro; both were dealers and collectors. While the Dieterle records are perhaps more likely to be accurate than an annotation, it is also possible that Haro, not Schoeller, was the agent who made the purchase on behalf of Pastré.
5 The Cleveland picture was certainly in Pastré’s possession by 1910, when he is listed as its owner in an exhibition at Galerie Georges Petit. In 1930 he was listed as the owner in Louis Hourticq’s monograph of Delacroix’s oeuvre. He may have owned the painting as late as 1950, when a footnote in the annotated edition of Delacroix’s journal from that year gives Pastré as the current owner.
6 Exhibition labels on the back of the painting, as well as a "DW" monogram and what is likely an inventory number (37/5), situate the painting in the collection of David-Weill.
7 Flora David-Weill likely came into possession of the painting when her husband died in 1952; we know with certainty that she had the painting by 1963, when she is listed as its owner in the 1963 Louvre exhibition, Centenaire d’Eugène Delacroix.
8 The painting appears in a 1972 exhibition held at Galerie Schmit in Paris. While it is possible that Thaw may have acted as an agent for Schmit for the sale of the picture to CMA, because Museum records make no reference to Schmit in connection with the transaction, it is more likely that Thaw purchased it outright from Schmit.
E.V. Thaw & Co., invoice, March 8, 1973, in CMA curatorial file.
Galerie Schmit. Les impressionnistes et leurs précurseurs; exposition, 17 mai - 17 juin 1972. 1972.
Lee Johnson, letter to Sherman E. Lee, Sept. 23, 1974, in CMA curatorial file.
Musée du Louvre. Centenaire d'Eugène Delacroix, 1798-1863, Musée du Louvre, mai-septembre 1963. [Paris]: Ministère d'État, Affaires culturelles, 1963.
Alexandre Rosenberg, letter to Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Cohen, Feb. 14, 1983, in CMA curatorial file.
E.V. Thaw & Co., invoice, March 8, 1973, in CMA curatorial file.
Johnson, Lee. The Paintings of Eugene Delacroix A Critical Catalogue. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1981.
Lee Johnson, letter to Sherman E. Lee, Sept. 23, 1974, in CMA curatorial file.
Joubin, André. Journal de Eugène Delacroix. 3: 1857-1863. Paris: Plon, 1950.
Hourticq, Louis. Delacroix, l'oeuvre du maitre. 1930.
Ganay, Emilie. Exposition de chefs-d'oeuvre de l'école française: 20 peintres du 19e siècle. [Paris?]: [Verlag nicht ermittelbar], 1910.
Sérullaz, Maurice. Mémorial de l'exposition Eugène Delacroix, organisée au Musée du Louvre à l'occasion du centenaire de la mort de l'artiste, Paris. 1963. [Paris]: Éditions des Musées nationaux, 1963.
Musée des beaux arts de Strasbourg. Cent ans de peinture française: exposition au profit de Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg : du 15 mars au 20 avril, 1922. Paris: [publisher not identified], 1922.
Chéramy, P. A. Catalogue des tableaux anciens et modernes, aquarelles, pastels, dessins ... Très importante collection d'oeuvres de Constable et d'Eugène Delacroix, primitifs italiens composant la collection P.-A. Cheramy: Vente, Galerie Georges Petit, les mardi 5, mercredi 6 et jeudi 7 mai 1908, commissaire-priseur Me F. Lair-Dubreuil. Paris: Henri Haro, 1908.
Sérullaz, Maurice. Mémorial de l'exposition Eugène Delacroix, organisée au Musée du Louvre à l'occasion du centenaire de la mort de l'artiste, Paris. 1963. [Paris]: Éditions des Musées nationaux, 1963.
Sérullaz, Maurice. Mémorial de l'exposition Eugène Delacroix, organisée au Musée du Louvre à l'occasion du centenaire de la mort de l'artiste, Paris. 1963. [Paris]: Éditions des Musées nationaux, 1963.
Cheramy, Paul Arthur, Julius Meier-Graefe, and Erich Klossowski. La collection Cheramy: catalogue raisonné précédé d'études sur les maîtres principaux de la collection. Munich: R. Piper et Cie, 1908.
E.V. Thaw & Co., invoice, March 8, 1973, in CMA curatorial file.
Sérullaz, Maurice. Mémorial de l'exposition Eugène Delacroix, organisée au Musée du Louvre à l'occasion du centenaire de la
Galerie Schmit. Les impressionnistes et leurs précurseurs; exposition, 17 mai - 17 juin 1972. 1972.
Hôtel Drouot. Tableaux, aquarelles, dessins de l'école moderne. 1887
Sérullaz, Maurice. Mémorial de l'exposition Eugène Delacroix, organisée au Musée du Louvre à l'occasion du centenaire de la mort de l'artiste, Paris. 1963. [Paris]: Éditions des Musées nationaux, 1963.
Goupil Stock Books, http://piprod.getty.edu/starweb/stockbooks/servlet.starweb?path=stockbooks/stockbooks.web, Getty Research Instititut
Goupil Book 10, Stock No. 15099, Page 146, Row 15,http://archives.getty.edu:30008/getty_images/digitalresources/goupil/jpgs/900239-vol10-146.jpg, Dealer Stock Books, Getty Research Institute.
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 205 archive.org
Argencourt, Louise d', and Roger Diederen. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 4. European Paintings of the 19th Century. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 234-237, Vol. I, no. 84
Year in Review: 1973. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 30-March 17, 1974).
Paris, Galerie Schmit. Les impressionnistes et leurs précurseurs (1972), no. 15 (repr.) (same provenance as Louvre 1930)
Paris, École Nationale des Beaux-Arts. Exposition Eugène Delacroix au profit de la souscription destinée a élever à Paris un monument à sa mémoire (1885), no. 31, Le comte Palatiano, en costume de Palikare, 41 x 33 cm, Salon de 1827, Appartient à MM. Boussod, Valadon et Cie.
Paris, Musée Jacquemart-André. Bonington, Un romantique anglais à Paris (1966), no. 102 (same provenance as Louvre 1930).
Paris, Musée du Louvre. Centenaire d'Eugène Delacroix 1798-1863 (1963), no. 77, lent by Mme D. David-Weill.
Paris, Musée du Louvre. Centenaire du Romantisme-Exposition E. Delacroix (1930), 1: no. 27; 2: no. 27 (provenance of another painting).
Bern, Kunstmuseum. Eugène Delacroix (1963-64), no. 17 (same provenance as Louvre 1930).
Paris, 18 Rue de la Ville-l'Évêque. Cent ans de peinture française; exposition au profit du Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg (March-April 1922), no. 64, Portrait du comte Palatiano, appartient au Comte Pastré.
Paris, Galerie Georges Petit. Exposition de chefs-d'oeuvres de l'école française, vingt peintres du XIX e siècle (1910), no. 71.
{{cite web|title=Count Demetrius de Palatiano in Suliot Costume|url=false|author=Eugène Delacroix|year=not dated|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1973.33