La Touche had a passion for the Palace of Versailles and had painted a host of other large-scale works depicting elegant ladies alighting carriages at the palace, or stepping into brightly coloured barges and gondolas in romantic settings, so he was the perfect artist to capture the sophistication of the First-Class area of the ship.

The painting titled L'Arrive de la Princesse (Lot 213) shows a beautiful woman who, having stepped out of her carriage, is being fawned upon by her courtiers, as they escort her to a waiting barge. To further emphasise the opulence of the stunning First-Class dining room, La Touche cleverly has the viewer looking up at the central figure, demonstrating her Royal standing, as we see those around her bowing and curtsying.

Commenting on the painting, Brandon Lindberg, Head of Dreweatts Old Master, British & European Art department, said: “We are delighted to be offering this belle epoque fantasy in our sale. For twenty five years its whereabouts was unknown until it was triumphantly exhibited in 2015”.

About Gaston La Touche (1854-1913)

Born in St Cloud, near Paris on 29th October 1854, Gaston La Touche’s interest in art started young, when he asked his parents for drawing lessons. His lessons would continue for ten years and were only interrupted by the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 (when he and his family sought solace in Normandy). After the war he returned to Paris where he met the Impressionist artists, Manet and Degas, amongst other creatives, such as the writer Emile Zola (whose works he would later illustrate). They would regularly rendezvous at the Cafe de la Nouvelle-Athenes (between circa 1877-79), to converse predominantly about art. La Touche’s works at the time depicted appalling scenes from the everyday lives of the working-class, such as miners and labourers, whose situations were being highlighted by the social realism of Zola’s novels.

From 1890 the subject matter, palette and technique of La Touche’s work changed. For the next six years, up until 1896, he moved from realism to idealism, which would become his signature style. He painted peaceful, joyful gardens, fountains, as well as fireworks and country festivals. As well as nature, he portrayed fantastical subjects such as nymphs, which set him apart from the earlier Impressionist Group that had intrigued him.

A strong influence on La Touche was the artist, engraver, ceramist and lithographer Felix Bracquemond (1833-1914). It is thought that he encouraged La Touche to use the lighter colour palette. On finding this preferred style, La Touche is said to have thrown 15 years worth of paintings from his socio-realist phase on a bonfire.

La Touche created an ethereal quality in his works with the use of light feathery brushstrokes. He portrayed other-worldly and allegorical scenes of land and seascapes, alongside views of his adored Versailles, about which he is believed to have said: “I only have one Master, the Park of Versailles”. Some of his Versailles views were exhibited in Paris in 1899, and in the same year went on view in an exhibition of watercolours at the Fine Art Society in London. In 1900 he was awarded the Legion d’Honneur, and in 1906 received an official commission to paint a fête at Versailles for the Elysée Palace.

La Touche exhibited regularly at the Société des Peintres et Sculpteurs, as well as at the Société de la Peinture à l’Eau, which he had founded in 1906, as well as the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. A large exhibition at the Galeries Georges Petit was held in 1908 and another at Boussod and Valadon in The Hague two months before his death while working on a painting in July 1913.

About SS France

The SS France was a four-funnelled liner built in St. Nazaire, France in 1911 and was the most lavish of its day. It accommodated 517 First Class passengers from a total of 1623 on board. An order was placed for the liner in 1908 and it was sea-ready for the Transatlantic route in April 1912 (a week after the sinking of RMS Titanic). SS France was the only French liner among the legendary four-funnel liners and soon became one of the most admired. During World War I it served as a hospital ship and it remained on the sea for over two decades. Its success encouraged even larger liners to be built.

View page turning catalogue

Auction Details

Wednesday 21 February, 10.30am GMT
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

Browse the auction
Sign up to email alerts

VIEWING:

• Viewing in London (highlights only):
  • Monday 12 February: 10am-4pm
  • Tuesday 13 February: 10am-4pm
  • Wednesday 14 February: 10am-4pm
• Viewing in Newbury:
  • Sunday 18 February: 10am-3pm
  • Monday 19 February: 10am-4pm
  • Tuesday 20 February: 10am-4pm
  • Wednesday 21 February: 8.30am-4pm
• Remote viewing service | Available by appointment
• Dreweatts 360 Virtual Auction Tour | Available from Wednesday 14 February