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Works By Delapierre


The research team has compiled this list of works by B.N. ("Benjamin Nicolas") Delapierre to better understand his life and professional career, with emphasis on trying to establish precisely where he was when he painted the 1785 portrait. The information was extracted, translated, and/or paraphrased from various catalogs, websites, and dictionaries of artists and their works. It has not been independently verified by our research team unless otherwise noted.

We continue our search for other paintings and new information on those we have found and would welcome information others would be gracious enough to provide (please send to researchers@isthisjefferson.org). And, of course, we would appreciate corrections to errors in the descriptions and histories of the works listed here.
























Portrait of Pavel Petrovich; 1767 (Staehelin 1990, Réau 1924, Thieme 1913); History: Painted in Moscow; Notes: Delapierre was a French portraitist in Moscow in 1767 where he drew for the steward of the household for Count Nikita Ivanovich Panin [Pavel's tutor] and did a portrait in bust of Pavel Petrovich [son of Catherine II, future Tsar Paul I], which was superior and more accurate than former portraits of that time. (Staehelin 1990, Thieme 1913.)

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Portrait of Catherine II; 1768; History: Painted in St. Petersburg; Notes: In 1768, Delapierre returned together with the Court to Petersburg where he drew a full length picture of Her Empirical Majesty seated. (Staehelin 1990, Réau 1924, Saur 2000, Thieme 1913.)

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Frontispiece for Calendar "Pridvorniyj"; 1768 (Saur 2000); History: Done in St. Petersburg. (Saur 2000); Notes: According to Saur (2000), the Frontispiece was engraved by Antoine Radiques.

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Portrait of Tsarevich Paul Petrovich; 1769; Current location: Hôpital Galitzine (Réau 1924, Thieme 1913); State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (Tretyakov 2011); Size: 218x149 cm (Staehelin 1990, Tretyakov 2011); History: Acquired by the State Tretyakov Gallery from the State Museum Fund in 1923 (Tretyakov 2011); Notes: In 1769, Delapierre painted a large painting…, the prince dressed in the uniform of an admiral is standing ashore and giving commands to the ship anchored not far from a castle. The likeness in the portrait was not as good as compared with the first painted in Moscow. (Staehelin 1990, Réau 1924, Saur 2000) According to the State Tretyakov Gallery, "There is a sign [sic] on the back side of this work, which was copied while doubling [sic] of the work. The sign is: De Lapierre 1769." (Tretyakov 2011) (Image © The State Tretyakov Gallery.)

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Portrait of Nicholas Sheremetev, Age 18; 1769; Current location: Kuskovo Museum, Moscow. (Smith 2008) (Image courtesy Kuskovo Museum.)

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Portrait of Countess Varvara Sheremeteva; 1769; Current location: Kuskovo Museum, Moscow. (Smith 2008) (Image courtesy Kuskovo Museum.)

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Portrait of Sophie Louise Wilhelmine de La Font; 1769; History: Painted in St. Petersburg. Engraved in Paris by J. Tardieu. (Dussieux 1856, Réau 1924, Thieme 1913); Notes: Shown above is an image of a print of the engraving by Jacques-Nicolas Tardieu, 2 Sep 1716 – 9 Jul 1791; image courtesy of Gonçalo Tassso de Sousa. Written on the print are “Peint a St. Petersbourg par N.B. De la Pierre en 1769” and “Gravé à Paris, par J. Tardieu, graveur du Roy et de S.A.S Electorale de Cologne.” Sophie, 8 August 1717 – 11 August 1796, was the daughter of Jean Dubuisson, a French Huguenot who moved to St. Petersburg, Russia, because of religious persecution. She married William de La Font, a general in the Russian service. After his death, Sophie became a well-known educator and was principal of the Smolny Institute in St. Petersburg from 1764 to 1797. The Lafonskaya (now Proletarian Dictatorship) street and area in St. Petersburg were named in her honor in 1864. (dic.academic.ru)



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Portrait of Mademoiselle Desnoyers; 1770 (Réau 1924), 1768 (Saur 2000); History: Probably done in St. Petersburg; Notes: According to Staehelin (1990), after returning with the Court to St. Petersburg in 1768, Delapierre painted various well done successful portraits of private persons, among them the pretty daughter of a French merchant, Mademoiselle Desnoyers. According to Berger (2012), on 11 May 1771, Delapierre married Jeanne-Élisabeth Desnoyers, quite likely the young woman in the painting.

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Portrait of Academy of Fine Arts (St. Petersburg) Prof. Nicolas François Gillet; 1770; Size: 127x102 cm (Frick 2004); Current location: Russian Museum (Saur 2000, rulex.ru); History: A public exhibition at the academy of a portrait of the sculptor Gillet, one of his best portraits, led the academy to give him [Delapierre] tenure as "academic painter"; (Staehelin 1990); in same year [1770] "court painter." (Saur 2000, Bénézit 2000) Exhibited St. Petersburg, 1780; exhibited Taurida Palace, St. Petersburg, 1905 (lent by Imperial Academy of Arts). (Frick 2004)

Click here for image.

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Portrait of Count Pyotr [Petr] Borisovich Sheremetev; 1770(?) (Saur 2000); Current location: Kuskovo Museum, Moscow. (de Baye 1905) (Image courtesy Kuskovo Museum.); Notes: According to Saur (2000), Delapierre achieved the title of “agrée” at the Imperial Academy of Arts for a 1770 portrait of Count N. P. Sheremetev (presumably Nicholas Petrovich). But according to Smith (2008), Delapierre painted Nicholas Sheremetev’s portrait in 1769 when Nicholas was age 18. This inconsistency and the young age of Nicholas suggest the possibility that the 1770 painting cited by Saur was Count P. B. Sheremetev (the father), not N. P. Sheremetev (the son).

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Portrait of Unknown Woman: Nude Bust; 1773 (see Notes), 1775 (Réau 1924); Signed: "Delapierre, peintre de Sa Majesté Impériale de toutes les Russies et de la Cadémie (sic) Impériale des Beaux-Arts de Saint-Pétersbourg, 1775" [Painter of Her Imperial Majesty of all the Russias and of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts of St. Petersburg] (Réau 1924); History: On sale in Paris, E. C. (Charvet), 1 May 1918 (Réau 1924); Notes: Witt Library Delapierre Artist File (Witt 2004) has a catalog page with a black and white photo, labeled "DELAPIERRE. – Peintre de S.M.I. de toutes les Russies.—1773. Portrait d'une dame inconnue [Portrait of an unknown woman]. G. Petit Paris [Galerie Georges Petit]." Réau (1924) describes a portrait by this artist as an unknown woman with curled hair, nude bust, holding white scarf in right hand. Réau's description appears to match the Witt photograph, even though the dates differ. Réau's description of how this was signed, including a misspelling (or archaic spelling), appears to be an exact transcription.   

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Portrait of Young Woman Wearing Blue Ribbons; 1777(?) (see Notes); 1789 (Réau 1924); Signed: "De la Pierre de l'Academie Imperiale des baux-Arts [sic] ancien Inspecteur – de  [?]cole [?] et Militaire de St Petersbourg 17??" (see Notes); Size: 63.5x52.8 cm; Current Location: Musée des beaux-arts et d'archéologie de Besançon, France; History: Bequeathed by Jean Gigoux (1806-1894) to Besançon Museum (private communication from the museum, January 2011); Notes: Writing on the left side of the painting contains the signature and/or attribution block. Not all the words are readable and it is not clear whether the last digit of the date is a 7 or a 9 or the next to last digit is a 7 or an 8. Réau (1924) mentions an "excellent" portrait of a woman at the Besançon Museum, dated 1789, which appears to be this painting. The form of the signature block, with the Russian title, is more consistent with how Delapierre signed paintings in the late 1770s versus the late 1780s. (Image Copyright Besançon, Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie; Photo Pierre GUENAT.)

DELAPIERRE- Portrait de femme- Besançon, MBAA sign-name.jpg

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Portrait of Young Woman Nursing Her Child; 1778; Signed: At right and dated 1778; Size: 89x70 cm; History: On sale Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 22-23 December 1924, from collection of General Andre Joubert following his decease; Notes: All information from sales catalog (Hôtel Drouot 1924); item #197, "LA PIERRE; [Nicholas Benjamin de]; Jeunne femme allaitant son enfant [Young Woman Nursing Her Child]."

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Woman with Lace Bonnet; 1779; Signed: "N B Delapierre"; Size: 59x48 cm oval (Tajan 1999); History: Tajan Sale, Paris, 19 February 1999 (#127); est. 10,000-15,000 FRF; catalog post-sale price list indicates not sold. (Tajan 1999) Galerie Heim-Gairac, date unknown (see Notes); Notes: Tajan Catalog (1999) has information on "Femme au bonnet dentelle [Woman with Lace Bonnet], 1779" but no image. Picture from Louvre file has notation "De la Pierre, Documentation Heim-Gairac," and no other information, but it appears to be the same painting.

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Portrait of a Man in a Gray Suit; 1780; Signed: “N B De La Pierre 1780,” lower right; Size: 58x50 cm; History: Sale Artcurial, Briest – Poulain – F. Tajan, 26 March 2014; sold for Eur 7,800.
 (the-salesroom.com, artcurial.com).



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Self-Portrait(?); 1780; Signed: "N.B. De La Pierre Peintre de S.M./L'Imperitrice de Toutes les Russies/f… en Juin 1780 [Painter of H[er] M[ajesty] / The Empress of all Russia/f… in June 1780]" on lower right; Size: 64x54 cm; History: Sale Ader Picard Tajan, Paris, Lot 19, 14 April 1988, FRF 26,000. Also in Ader Picard Tajan, Paris, Lot 50, 25 April 1989, 20,000/25,000 FRF; Notes: Information from catalogs. (Ader 1988, Ader 1989) Title given in both catalogs as "Autoportrait"; however, neither gives a basis for calling this a self-portrait. Full contents of signature block not given in catalogs.  

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Self-Portrait(?); 178?; Signed: De La Pier (see Notes below), lower right; Current Location: Musée des Arts Décoratifs  (MAD), Lyon, France, MAD#2305; Size: 48x56 cm (Le Cacheux 2005); History: Displayed in 1904 in Lyon, owned by Mme Poulot, Roanne, Loire. (Vial 1904) Acquired by MAD 1969 from Lyon antique dealer M. Gros. (Le Cacheux 2005); Notes: On the front lower right is written: "De La Pier" and under that "En 178" – the last part of each line is missing from the canvas. (Le Cacheux 2005) The "D" in the signature appears to have been written as a small "d" and then painted over to make it a capital letter (from visual inspection). A note is written on the back of the frame "Portrait de de Lapierre, peintre Lyonnais; Peint par lui-meme" [Portrait of de Lapierre, painter from Lyon, painted by himself]. (Vial 1904, Le Cacheux 2005) Whether the portrait is a self-portrait is a subject of disagreement among experts. Pérez (1975) gives the opinion that this portrait is probably the one listed as "Un ami d'auteur, en bonnet de nuit [A Friend of the Artist in a Night Bonnet]", #32 in the 1786 Lyon Salon exhibition (see later entry in this list). The same author (Pérez 2001), 26 years later, says that the painting seems indeed to be a self-portrait. Berger (2007) states that it is more reasonable to recognize the portrait as the portrait of the friend of the artist exhibited in 1786. A comparison with the painting titled in this list as "Self-Portrait (?), 1780" shows a much different looking man, which could be the same person if this 178? portrait was in the late 1780s, after several years of aging and weight gain. (Image courtesy Musée des Arts décoratifs de Lyon; photography Pierre Verrier.)

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Russian [sic] Officer; 1781; Signed: "N. B. De La Pierre 1781," lower right; Size: 57.8x47.9 cm (Koller Auctions 2007); Current Location: Private collection. (Berger 2012); History: Sale Koller Auctions, Zurich 17 September 2007; sold for €16351 (kollerauktionen.ch); Notes: The information provided by the Koller Auctions does not give the source of information identifying the sitter as a Russian(!) officer. Despite the title given in the Koller sale, the officer is more likely Swiss, not Russian, based on (a) similarities between his uniform and that worn in a portrait of a young Swiss soldier, Johann Rudolf von Steiger, by the same artist in 1782 (see below); (b) similarities between his uniform and those of the cantonal armies of Bern, Switzerland (Petitmermet 1977); and (c) the fact that the 2007 sale took place in Switzerland. Berger (2012) independently concluded that the officer was Swiss based on Jean-Louis Vial’s determination that the uniform was from the Erlach [Canton Bern] regiment.

RussOfficer-3117 - signatureCopy.jpg

Sketches of uniforms of soldiers of the canton of Bern, 1767-1782 (Petitmermet 1977; from plate 17) are similar to that worn by the so-called Russian officer. (Courtesy of Societé d'histoire du canton de Berne, 1977; www.hvbe.ch.)

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Portrait of Christoph von Steiger; 1781; Signed: Signed and dated u. r.; Size: 48x40 cm; History: Von Steiger was a magistrate in Thun, Canton of Bern, Switzerland. Sale Dobiaschofsky Auctions, Bern, 2 May 1986 (Dobiaschofsky 1986); Notes: Catalog lists artist as DE LA PIERRE, NICOLAS-BENJAMIN, but does not specify exactly how the painting was signed. Sold for 900 CHF. A dictionary of Swiss historical biographies (Tribolet 1931) lists a Christoph von Steiger, 1725-1785, who was a magistrate in Thun.

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Portrait of Catharina May, Wife of Christoph von Steiger; 1781; Signed: Signed and dated u. l.; Size: 48x40 cm; History: Sale Dobiaschofsky Auctions, Bern, 2 May 1986 (Dobiaschofsky 1986); Notes: Catalog lists artist as DE LA PIERRE, NICOLAS-BENJAMIN, but does not specify exactly how the painting was signed. Sold for 950 CHF.

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Portrait of Charlotte Elisabeth von Steiger; 1781; Signed: Signed and dated u. l.; Size: 48x40 cm; History: Sale Dobiaschofsky Auctions, Bern, 2 May 1986 (Dobiaschofsky 1986); Notes: Catalog lists artist as DE LA PIERRE, NICOLAS-BENJAMIN, but does not specify exactly how the painting was signed. Sold for 1700 CHF.

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Portrait of Margarita Rosina von Steiger; 1781; Signed: Signed and dated u. r.; Size: 48x40 cm; History: Sale Dobiaschofsky Auctions, Bern, 2 May 1986 (Dobiaschofsky 1986); Notes: Catalog lists artist as DE LA PIERRE, NICOLAS-BENJAMIN, but does not specify exactly how the painting was signed. Sold for 1400 CHF.

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Portrait of Marianne von Steiger; 1781; Signed: Signed and dated u. l.; Size: 48x40 cm; History: Sale Dobiaschofsky Auctions, Bern, 2 May 1986 (Dobiaschofsky 1986); Notes: Catalog lists artist as DE LA PIERRE, NICOLAS-BENJAMIN, but does not specify exactly how the painting was signed. Sold for 1900 CHF.

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Portrait of Johann Rudolf von Steiger; 1782; Signed: Signed and dated u. r.; Size: 48x40 cm; History: Sale Dobiaschofsky Auctions, Bern, 2 May 1986 (Dobiaschofsky 1986); Notes: Catalog lists artist as DE LA PIERRE, NICOLAS-BENJAMIN, but does not specify exactly how the painting was signed. Sold for 2800 CHF. A dictionary of Swiss historical biographies (Tribolet 1931) lists a Johann Rudolf von Steiger, 1765-1839, son of Christoph, 1725-1785.

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A Mother Feeding Her Child; 1782; Signed: "B.N. de la Pierre," upper left; Size: 64.7x53.6 cm; History: Sold Christie's, London, 6 July 2005 (sale 5825, lot 128), for £4,800. (Christie's 2005, christies.com); Notes: Note reversal of initials in signature.

  

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The Wine Drinker; 1783; Signed: "N. Bin de la Pierre"; Size: 65x54 cm (see Notes below); History: Exhibited about 1948 in the Musée du vin de Bourgogne [Bourgogne Wine Museum], Beaune, France, on loan from Charles Ratton of Paris; Current Location: Private collection, Lyon, France; Notes: "La Pierre" folder in research library of the Louvre in Paris contained (in September 2007) a photocopy of the painting with title "L'homme au verre de vin [The Man with the Glass of Wine]," date, how signed, size (65x54 cm), and information on the 1948 exhibition. Delapierre folder in research library of the Musée des beaux arts, Lyon, contained (in September 2007) a photocopy of the painting with the title "Le buveur de vin [The Wine Drinker]" and gave the size as 60x50. Private correspondence (April 2007) from member of the Art History Department, University of Lyon 2, contained photo of painting, information on current location, and photo of a label on the frame giving the following information: dated 1783, DE LA PIERRE worked in Lyon in 1787; on loan from Charles Ratton, D 47.4.1.   

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Portrait of a Seated Gentleman; 1785; Signed: "B.N. de la Pierre"; Size: 74.9x62.2 cm; History: Chalk, Stransky, Bardini; Current location: Private collection in the United States; Notes: Mirabeau's De la Caisse d'Escompte is prominently displayed. This painting is the subject of the current investigation. "Portrait of a Seated Gentleman" was the catalog title used for this painting at its most recent sale. Size is based on physical measurement by current owner.



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Portrait of Madame D…; 1786 or before; History: Exhibited at the Sallon des Arts, Lyon, France, 25 August to 11 September 1786, #29, Portrait de Madame D…. (Perez 1975)

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Wife of the Artist in Sleigh Clothing; 1786 or before; History: Exhibited at the Sallon des Arts, Lyon, France, 25 August to 11 September 1786, #30, L'épouse de l'auteur en habit de traineau. (Perez 1975); Notes: It is possible that this is the portrait of Mademoiselle Desnoyers that Delapierre painted in Russia in 1768 or 1770.

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Brother of the Author; 1786 or before; History: Exhibited at the Sallon des Arts, Lyon, France, 25 August to 11 September 1786,  #31, Le frère de l'auteur. (Perez 1975)

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A Friend of the Artist in a Night Bonnet; 1786 or before; History: Exhibited at the Sallon des Arts, Lyon, France, 25 August to 11 September 1786, #32, Un ami de l'auteur, en bonnet de nuit (Perez 1975); Notes: Some experts have concluded that this is the portrait listed above as a possible self-portrait dated 178?.

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Portrait of an Elderly Woman, Relative of E. Gautier; 1787; Signed: "de Lapierre"; History: Brought to Le Havre, France, from Lyon about 1855 by a male relative of E. Gautier; may have been exhibited in Le Havre in 1867 (Gautier, 1902); Notes: Printed label on the frame, "De la Pierre, Lyon 1787." (Gautier 1902) Gautier also mentions a matching, but inferior quality, unsigned portrait of his relative's great uncle—the husband of the elderly woman. Gautier recalled his relative saying that the great uncle's portrait was painted long before the great aunt's—and by the same artist. Gautier thought that could explain the inferior quality of the earlier portrait (less experience of the artist at the time) and the younger age of the man in that portrait. But the relative was not certain—nor was it clear to Gautier—that the same artist painted both portraits.

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Portrait of an Elderly Artist; 1788; Signed: "de la Pierre" (Munier-Jolain 1902), at bottom left, dated 1788 (Hôtel Drouot, 1910; Réau, 1924); Size: 60x50 cm (Munier-Jolain 1902); History: Appeared in the obscure sale of an old lawyer from the Palais de Paris before 1902, possibly purchased by J. Munier-Jolain, Paris attorney. (Munier-Jolain 1902) In Munier-Jolain collection sale, December 1910, item 41 (Hôtel Drouot 1924); Notes: According to the catalog for the 1910 Hôtel Drouot sale, the sitter has blue eyes, powdered hair, is wearing an aqua-green jacket showing a white ruffled shirt, and is holding a charcoal holder. Munier-Jolain (1902) put forth the conjecture that this is a portrait of the artist himself, but this appears to be nothing more than speculation.

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Portrait of Lady Wearing Purple Shawl; 1788; Signed: "de la Pierre, 1788" lower left; Size: 55x45.7 cm (76.5x59 cm framed); History: Sir J. Beit; Mrs. Von der Meden; both according to labels on the reverse (Sotheby's 2001); Countess Ingrid Reutern von Nolcken (wilnitsky.com); On sale Sotheby's Olympia, London, 10 December 2001, #535 (Sotheby's 2001); Hampel, Munich, Germany, 23 March 2002, #1359 (hampel-auctions.com), titled "Portrait Einer Höfishen Dame [Portrait of a Courtly Lady]"; Wilnitsky Fine Arts, August 2003, titled "Russian Beauty" (wilnitsky.com); Notes: Title given by Wilnitsky probably based on assumption that artist was in Russia in 1788; however, documented evidence (e.g., Perez 1975) indicates he had returned to France no later than 1786.  

C:\Users\Rich\Pictures\modified\91_art\PurpleShawl-1788-signature-2.jpg

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Family Portrait; circa 1790; Signed: "De la Pierre fecit" (leo-spik.de); Size: 135.5x106.6 cm (Louvre, Paris, La Pierre file); 132x107 cm (leo-spik.de); History: Exhibited 11/7/78 [presumably 11 July 1978] (Louvre file); For sale Leo Spik KG, Berlin, Germany, cat. no. 373, June 2004 (leo-spik.de); for sale Lempertz, Cologne, Germany, Old Masters, Lot no. 1030, 20 May 2006, not sold (Lempertz 2006); Notes: None of the documentation gives the basis for the estimate of the date "circa 1790." Louvre file contains photocopy of this painting with faded, nearly illegible handwriting on back and ink stamps, "Schloss Ricklingen Auktionshaus," "Documentation Heim-Gairac," and "Studio Reinhold Lessmann, Hanover."

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Portrait of Monsieur Jacquotot; 1794; Signed: "De La Pierre/1794" lower right; Size: 76x63.5 cm; History: For sale Etude Tajan, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, Entry #12, 31 March 1995. (Tajan 1995)

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Portrait of M. Deveille, Lyonnais Watchmaker; 1796; Signed: "De La Pierre, 1796" lower right; Size: 44x37 cm (Audin 1914); History: Exhibited at Lyon International Exposition 1914, collection M. L. Servan (Audin 1914) of Lyon (Vial 1904); Notes: Black and white image provided by Museum of Fine Arts, Lyon. According to Audin (1914), the sitter is wearing a dark red suit and a dark green coat.  



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La Fileuse [Woman Spinning Thread]; 1797; Size: 100x81 cm; History: On sale at Lombrail & Teucquam, Lot 55, 4 December 1998 (artnet.de).

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Portrait of Young Woman; 1798; Signed: "DE LA PIERRE 1798"; History: Purchased near Lyon, France, about 1997; Notes: Delapierre folder in research library of the Musée des beaux arts, Lyon, contained (in September 2007) a copy of a letter, dated 22 December 1997, with an attached photograph, requesting information pertaining to a 1798 painting by DE LA PIERRE, which the requester had recently acquired at a flea market near Lyon.

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Portrait of Man Wearing Green Coat; 1798; Signed: "D.L.P. en 1798"; Size: 9.5x8 cm (miniature?);  History: "Ancienne collection Calmann Lévy / Vente Chaumont en vexin" (inscriptions on reverse); for sale Picard Audap Solanet et Associés (PIASA), Drouot Richelieu, Paris, 17 December 1997, #79 with title "Portrait d'homme en buste à la veste verte" (PIASA 1997); Notes: According to the PIASA catalog, the painting was signed "DLR en 1798," but close examination of the image in the catalog indicates that the initials are more likely "D.L.P." This is the only painting by Delapierre found by the research team that would qualify as a "miniature"; however, his civil death record listed his occupation as a painter of miniatures. (Berger 2007) 

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Portrait of Elderly Lady; 1799; Signed: "De la Pierre 1799" lower right (Magnin 1922); Size: 56.2x46 cm (see Notes below); Current location: Musée Magnin, Dijon, France; History: Acquired by Maurice Magnin before 1922; Maurice Magnin collection Paris  (Magnin 1922; #367, with title "Portrait de dame âgée"); Bequest by Magnin to Musée Magnin 1938 (1938 F586) (Starcky & Isnard 2000); Notes: Color image courtesy of Musée Magnin, February 2011. Size is based on restoration notes, dated September 2010, in files of the museum. (Image © Musée Magnin RMN, Dijon, France.)

DameAgee-fmMusee Magnin-10-545197 basse déf.jpg

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Revolutionary Scene; 1799; Signed: "De La Pierre. En 1799" lower center (Audin 1914); Size: 63x53 cm; History: Exhibited at Lyon International Exposition 1914, Scène Révolutionnaire, collection M. H. Sérullaz (Audin 1914) of Lyon, France (Vial 1904); Notes: Audin (1914) has the following description: on the right, a young girl in a white dress and blue coat in a woods tied to the trunk of a large tree; behind her, a horseman, in a cocked hat and in the uniform of the revolutionary epoch, seems to be untying her bonds. On the left, in the foreground, woman's clothing; farther away, a man stretched out and bloody, and in the woods, two peasants who seem to be hiding behind trees. On canvas.   

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Portrait of the Artist(?); Date unknown; History: California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, California; Catherine D. Wentworth Collection, 1951 (Frick 2004); Notes: Personnel at the California Palace noted that it sold this painting at Butterfield & Butterfield in May 1982 but could provide no further information, according to a private communication in 2004. The research team has no information regarding the basis for calling this painting a self-portrait.

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Portrait of Madame Roland; Date unknown; History: Collection Mme Jay, Lyon, France. (Audin & Vial 1918)

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Man Dressed in Three Colors; Date unknown; Current location: Musée de la Revolution française, Vizille, France; Size: about 4.5 cm diameter (Berger 2012).

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Léda and the Swan; Date unknown; Current location: Musée de Narbonne, France (in 1929); Size: 3 cm diameter (Berger 2012).

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Bibliography:

Ader, 1988; Ader Picard Tajan; Importants tableaux anciens; Vente aux enchères publique; Hôtel George V, Salon Vendôme;  Paris; auction catalog 14 April 1988.

Ader, 1989; Ader Picard Tajan, Tableaux anciens; Vente aux enchères publique; Paris – Drouot Montaigne; auction catalog 25 April 1989.

Audin, M., 1914; Exposition Internationale de Lyon 1914 Beaux-arts; Section Rétrospective Lyonnaise; Catalogue, Publie sous la direction de M. AUDIN, Lyon, 1914.

Audin, Marius & Vial, Eugéne, 1918; Dictionnaire des artistes et ouvriers d'art de la France : Lyonnais, 1918. Information on Delapierre is on p. 483.

Bénézit, 1999; Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres sculpteurs dessinateurs et graveurs, Vol. 4, 1999.

Berger, Benoît, 2007; "Sur les traces du peintre Nicolas-Benjamin Delapierre" [On the Trail of the Painter Nicolas-Benjamin Delapierre] in Bulletin municipal officiel de la ville de Lyon, 1 October 2007, pp. 1-2.

Berger, Benoît, 2012; "Nicolas-Benjamin DELAPIERRE (ca 1739-Lyon, 1802): Visage(s) d'un portraitiste," in La Lettre de la Miniature, No. 11, March 2012, pp. 3-7.

Christie's, 2005; Auction catalog, Old Master Pictures, 6 July 2005, London, Sale 5825, Lot 128.

De Baye, Joseph, 1905; Kouskovo, la résidence d'un grand seigneur russe au XVIIIe siècle; Paris: Nilsson, 1905.

Dobiaschofsky, 1986; Auction catalog, No. 63, 2 May 1986; page from catalog containing items 234-239, their images, and the sales prices provided by Dobiaschofsky Auktionen AG, Bern, Switzerland.

Dussieux, L., 1856; Les Artistes Français a L'Etranger, Gide et J. Baudry, Paris; De La Pierre (Nicolas-Benjamin), #874, p. 407.

Frick, 2004; The Frick Art Reference Library provided the research team several images and documentation of paintings by Delapierre; email of 2 November 2004.

Gautier, E., 1902; "De la Pierre, painter" letter (dated 2 June 1902) published in Les Arts, Nr 6, July 1902.

Hôtel Drouot, 1910; Collection of Mr. Munier-Jolain, Tableaux Anciens et Modernes; Sales catalog, 9 December 1910.

Hôtel Drouot, 1924; Catalogue des Tableaux Anciens et Modernes; Vente à Paris, 22-23 December 1924.

Koller Auctions, 2007; Zurich, Switzerland; Condition report, sale A142, lot 3117; email of 10 September 2007.

Le Cacheux, Pascale, 2005; Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Lyon, France, research library; emails of August 2005.

Lempertz, 2006; Kunsthaus Lempertz, Sales catalog, Old Masters, Auktion 889, Cologne, Germany, 20 May 2006 (National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, D.C., auction catalog collection).

Magnin, Jeanne, 1922; Collection Maurice Magnin: Un Cabinet d'Amateur Parisien en 1922; collections de peintures et dessins des écoles françaises et étrangères; 1922; "Portrait de dame âgée" imaged and described Vol. 2, p. 175, no. 367.

Munier-Jolain, J., 1902; "De la Pierre, painter (?)" letter (dated 24 May 1902) published in Les Arts, Nr 5, June 1902.

Pérez, Marie-Félicie, 1975; "Exposition du « Salon des Arts » de Lyon en 1786"; Gazette des Beaux-arts; Sixth series, Vol. 86, p. 199; December 1975.  

Pérez, Marie-Félicie, 2001; author of notice #12, in exhibition catalog for Autoportraits et portraits d'artistes du 16e au 20e siècle at Musée de Brou, Bourg-en-Bresse, France, 24 June – 23 September 2001. 

PIASA, 1997; Picard Audap Solanet & Associés, Sales catalog, Important tableaux anciens, Drouot Richelieu – Salle 1, Paris, 17 December 1997 (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., auction catalog collection).

Petitmermet, Roland, 1977; Berner Uniformen/Uniformes Bernois, 1700-1850, Societé d'histoire du canton de Berne, Switzerland, 1977.

Réau, Louis, 1924; Histoire de l'expansion de l'art français moderne. Le monde slave et orientale; Paris (Henri Laurens), 1924. Information on Delapierre is on p. 150.

Saur, 2000; Allgemeines Künstler-Lexicon. Die Bildenen Künstler aller Zeiten und Voelker. Band 25 Dayan – Delvoye, Munchen, Leipzig, 2000. Information on Delapierre is on p. 370.

Smith, Douglas, 2008; The Pearl: A True Tale of Forbidden Love in Catherine the Great's Russia, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2008.

Sotheby's, 2001; Old Master Paintings; Sotheby's Olympia, London; catalog for 10 December 2001 sale.

Staehelin, Jacob, 1990; Записки Якоба Штелина об изящных искусствах в России. Вдвухтомах. Том1 [Jacob Sraehelin Notes on the Fine Arts in Russia, Vol. 1]; printed in Moscow, 1990. Information on Delapierre is mostly on p. 77.

Starcky, Laure & Isnard, Hélène, 2000; Collab.; Dijon musée Magnin, les peintures françaises: catalogue sommaire illustré; Paris: RMN, 2000 (copy of page with item #302 obtained from Louvre library).

Tajan, 1995; Etude Tajan; Tableaux anciens; Paris – Hôtel Drouot – Salle 4; 31 March 1995; auction catalog (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., auction catalog collection).

Tajan, 1999; Etude Tajan; Tableaux anciens; Vente à Paris – Hôtel Drouot – Salle no 5; 19 February 1999; auction catalog (deasccessioned from the Schweitzer Art Gallery Reference Library).   

Thieme, Ulrich, 1913; Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler, Achter Band; Leipzig, 1913. Information on Delapierre is on p. 588.

Tribolet, Dr. H., editor, 1931; Historisch-Biographisches Lexikon der Schweiz, Sechster Band; Neuenburg, Switzerland.

Tretyakov, 2011; The State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow) provided information on the Delapierre portrait of Tsarevich Paul Petrovich, 1769; email of 14 July 2011.

Vial, M. Eug., 1904; Catalogue Illustré de l'Exposition Rétrospective des Artistes Lyonais, Peintres et Sculpteurs, October-November, 1904; Palais Municipal des Expositions, Quai de Bondy, Lyon, France. Information on Delapierre is on p. 47; copy of page obtained from files of Musée des Beaux-arts, Lyon. (See copy of De La Pierre section of this Catalog on Google books.)

Witt, 2004; The Witt Library provided the research team several images of paintings by Delapierre from sales catalog entries; emails (Percival/Morgan) of August 2004.

Websites:

arcadja.com; Arcadja auction results: Nicolas Benjamin Delapierre.

artcurial.com; Results for sale 2372, Old Master & 19th Century Paintings, Drawings, Sculptures.

artnet.de; Nicolas Benjamin Delapierre - Historische Auktions.

bnf.fr; Bibliothèque nationale de France, catalogue général.

christies.com; Lot 128 / Sale 5825; Nicolas Benjamin Delapierre.

dic.academic.ru; Delafon, Sofya Ivanova.

hampel-auctions.com; Archive, Catalogues of Past Auctions; Auction date 23.03.2002, #1359 Nicolas Benjamin de la Pierre.

kollerauktionen.ch; Details of Lot 3117, Auktion A142, 17 September 2007 to 17 October 2007.

latribunedelart.com; Le sculpteur Jean-Baptiste Théodon (1645-1713): sa Compagne de Diane retrouvée.

leo-spik.de; Leo Spik KG, Archiv, Auktion 609, 17-19 June 2004, Alte Gemälde [Old Paintings], # 373.

rulex.ru; Nicholas François Gillet.

the-salesroom.com; Artcurial Paris, Antique & 19th Century Paintings, Drawings, & Sculptures, Lot 137 – Nicolas-Benjamin Delapierre.

wilnitsky.com; Nicolas Benjamin Delapierre, "Russian Beauty", 1788, Oil on Canvas; #11315.