View Of An Ancient Port

View of an ancient port. Two ships are stranded on a sandbank. In the background, two towers overlooking the landscape can be seen. Several boats anchor in the channel framed by quays from which characters are chatting. The left quay houses a ruined temple, where we can recognize Corinthian columns. Oil on canvas Attributed to Jean-Baptiste Lallemand 18th century Period Usual restorations, modern gilded wood frame, re-canvassed, modern stretcher H.44 x L. 52 (with frame) H. 31.5 x L. 39.5 cm ( at sight) We find on our canvas a treatment of light and composition specific to Jean-Baptiste Lallemand (1716-1803): a falling day covered with a few clouds, buildings on the side, and a body of water in the background . We can cite the Lallemand canvas passed to Lewes (UK) on 06/28/22, lot no. 365, or the one passed to Thierry de Maigret on 03/25/22, lot 28. Nothing destined Jean-Baptiste Lallemand has a career as a painter. However, at a young age, he showed an interest in drawing, a passion little encouraged by his father, a tailor from Dijon, who wanted to involve his son in the family business. However, an opportunity offered by one of his father's clients allowed him to make a name for himself. After joining the Guild of Saint Luke, Jean-Baptiste Lallemand left in 1747 for Rome where he immersed himself for two years in the Italian Arts which had a lasting impact on his work. Lallemand particularly enjoys using the register of capriccio, or architectural whim, on many of his paintings. As we rediscover ancient sites, ancient representations, both in portraits and landscapes, have multiplied. But with capriccio, a new approach to heritage is expressed. Beyond a simple fantasized representation of these ruins, the capriccio is an incentive to reflect on the ephemeral nature of Art which requires conservation care to persist. The representation of people in deep conversation in front of these ruins, as on our canvas, is a classic capriccio, which symbolizes the questioning of time and the ephemeral raised by these ruins.