A “London” work by Théodore Géricault found in a maid’s room in Normandy, sold at auction for 158,000 euros, five times its estimate

An artistic treasure was found in Saint-Valery-en-Caux, in Seine-Maritime: a work by Théodore Géricault, entitled “Entrance to the Adelphi Wharf”. The drawing made in London in 1821, missing for more than 150 years, was discovered by chance in a maid’s room.

The annual auction on January 1st in Saint-Valery-en-Caux is a highly anticipated tradition in the Normandy region. This year, it presented 354 lots estimated between 50,000 and 60,000 euros, including a nugget by the Rouen painter Théodore Géricault, entitled Entrance to the Adelphi Wharf. Dating from 1821, the centerpiece of the sale, created by the artist during his stay in London, was rediscovered a century and a half after being lost. Bidding rose to 158,000 euros, five times its estimate (from 30,000 to 40,000 euros).

The work is a wash, a technical term for watercolors in a single tone and serves as a preparatory drawing for an engraving. This exceptional discovery thus enriches the understanding of Théodore Géricault’s life as an artist.

“Unrivaled finesse”

Nearly 200 people were present in a packed room, 450 people were connected online around the world, but it was mainly on the telephone that the battle for the acquisition of this little drawing which until then had been lying quietly slumbering took place. on the top floor of a maid’s room. “We were selling the house, there were some pieces of furniture, this one was, above a door, without any appeal. The family had absolutely no idea what it was before we told them the good news”, says Bruno Roquigny, proud to have made one of the greatest discoveries of his 35-year career.

Good news shared by specialist Patrick de Bayser, responsible for assessing this drawing: “in my job as an expert, what is most exciting is to find something that has been lost and to restore its identity. We are chasing that, it is like our carrot, our title of glory.” When they came across the canvas, they had no doubt in recognizing Géricault’s technique, with “unparalleled brilliance and finesse compared to his contemporaries”, he assures. Everyone knows The Raft of the Medusa, but several other works still remain scattered around the world. The rediscovery of one of them, signed Géricault, an artist often passed over in silence despite his fame, is a real coronation.

Other works by Théodore Géricault, buried in a few attics, still remain to be discovered.