Sketch Of A Set Design For The Prix De Rome — Antique Scene With Figures — Jean-antoine Houdon — 1811

A work of exceptional historical and artistic value, this pencil and wash sketch depicts an ancient scene featuring several figures gathered around a table—perhaps for a banquet, libation, or ceremony—in a sober, classical architectural interior. The composition, structured as a horizontal frieze with figures draped in the ancient style, reveals Armand-Julien Pallière’s rigorous training in the studio of François-André Vincent, one of the masters of French Neoclassicism.

This drawing is a “loge” sketch—a term referring to compositions created in isolation during the Prix de Rome competition at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1811, the two Pallière brothers entered the competition simultaneously: Armand-Julien and his younger brother Léon Pallière, who would go on to win the prize the following year, in 1812, and spend time at the Villa Medici. This dual participation by the brothers in the same competition—precisely dated and noted in the inscription—gives this sheet a dimension that is both remarkably intimate and historic.

What makes this piece absolutely unique is the signature of Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741–1828), the greatest French sculptor of the 18th century—creator of the Seated Voltaire, the Mirabeau, and the Washington—who had been a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris since 1805. Houdon evidently annotated or endorsed this drawing by his student, a direct testament to the artistic legacy passed down between two of the greatest figures in French art of the Empire period.

Very good overall condition; drawing mounted on a sheet of period pink paper, with frayed edges at the corners and a few small tears.
Sporadic light foxing on the mounting sheet
The drawing itself is in good overall condition, with no apparent tears
Slight visible creases

15.5 cm x 14 cm