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Deroy, Isidore-Laurent, artist.

Vues du Parc de Nogent [cover title].

Nogent-sur-Oise and Paris, France. Ca. 1861–1864. Oblong 4to (11” x 16”), original pebbled burgundy morocco, raised Gothic Revival strapwork with applied brass ornaments and two brass clasps at fore edge, title stamped in black at upper cover, a.e.g. 20 original watercolors (6” x 9.25” to 6.5” x 9.75”), 3 tinted lithographs (5.875” x 5.625”; 4” x 5.75”; 7.25” x 5.25”, all plus margins). CONDITION: Very good, light wear to cover extremities.

A lovely and historically valuable “estate portrait” album of original watercolor views by painter and lithographer Isidore-Laurent Deroy depicting the grounds of the Parc de Nogent and its residence, noted for its incorporation of the façade of a 16th century château, rescued at the eleventh hour from demolition in 1833.

Constructed in the 1500s as an expansion and modernization of a fortification dating back to the Roman invasion, the Château de Sarcus boasted twenty-two arches in total. It was designed by Martin Chambiges, who worked in the high Gothic style and is known for the façades of several cathedrals. In 1833 its owner elected to demolish it, and—so the story goes—Armand-Gustave Houbigant, the mayor of Nogent-sur-Oise and the son of a famous early perfumer, rushed nearly fifty miles to save it, arriving in time to prevent the last three arches, as well as several other architectural elements, from being destroyed. Houbigant integrated the arched façade into his residence, and, as a historian, wrote an account of what he had rescued. The Gothic façade appears in two of Deroy’s watercolors and is the subject of all three of the lithographs, one of which is captioned in the lower margin: “Trois des arcades du château de Sarcus, Transportées et relevées par Mr. Houbigant à Nogent les Vierges (Oise) et formant un des façades de son habitation.” After the second world war, the Houbigant residence was vandalized and the façade was moved to the nearby parc Hébert à Nogent.

Deroy’s charming watercolors, painted over the course of several years, provide a comprehensive record of the Parc’s many picturesque views and are almost always populated by figures—presumably meant to represent members of Houbigant’s household—strolling with parasols along paths or across meadows, boating on gentle waterways, resting on the steps of a castle ruin, playing with children, or enjoying the view together, often accompanied by their dog. In addition to the many lush and finely detailed landscapes, Deroy’s views show the Houbigant residence, the Church at Nogent-sur-Oise (exterior and interior), and two other buildings, as well as the distant town from within an octagonal or hexagonal porch with stained glass Gothic arches. In the captioned lithograph, two male figures standing before the arched façade—one holding an open sketch book—likely represent Houbigant and Deroy themselves, who were evidently artistic collaborators and friends.

Armand-Gustave Houbigant, who did not follow his father into the perfume business, was a historian and visual artist. After inheriting his fortune, he established himself at Nogent-sur-Oise in 1812. He is best known for designing a new set of playing cards in 1816, but he also produced numerous watercolors and views, several of which Deroy lithographed and at least one of which (“Lescar. Ruines du Château des Évêques de Béarn,” 1854) Deroy actually retouched—“but only a little,” according to an ink note on the painting: “he only touched the trees.”

Isidore-Laurent Deroy (1797-1886) was a painter, draftsman, and lithographer from Paris. He studied painting under Louis-François Cassas and architectural drawing under an artist cited in several sources simply as “Félix.” His lithographs were exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1827 to 1866, and he received third class medals for lithography in 1836 and 1861. Some sources suggest he traveled to North America, but this seems to be based on various lithographs of American views to his credit after August Kollner (Köllner) and others. All of these were produced by French lithographic firms—Gouptil and Vibert, in the case of Kollner’s “Views of American Cities”—but were often published by New York, London, and sometimes Berlin firms as well. From 1860 into the 1880s Deroy appears in the Paris trade directory Bottins as an “artiste-lithographe.”

A splendid collection of watercolor views of an impressive French country house and its grounds.

REFERENCES: Houbigant, A.-G. Notice sur le portique dit de Sarcus existant a Nogent-les-Vierges, et faisant partie de l’habitation de M. Houbigant, Portique élevé au moyen de quelques débris provenant de l’ancien château de Sarcus abattu en 1833. (Nogent-les-Vierges, 1857); Karel, David. Dictionnaire des artistes de langue française en Amérique du Nord (Musée du Québec, 1992), p. 231; Lescar. Restes du château et des fortifications des évêques, Dessins du musée national du château de Pau online.

Item #5709

Price: $12,500.00