Gabriel-François DOYEN Paris, 1726 - Saint Petersburg, 1806 The Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine Sanguine Annotated 'Fragonard' and 'Doyen' on verso Watermarked paper with large fleur-de-lis on shield Without frame The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine, red chalk, annotated, by G. F. Doyen 54 x 35 cm (21.26 x 13.78 in.) Provenance: Anonymous sale; Lyon, Chenu-Bérard-Péron, 17 October 2010, no. 3 (as École française, early 18th century); Private European collection Comment: This large red chalk drawing is probably a preparation for The Marriage of Saint Catherine, a painting now lost but mentioned by Marc Sandoz1. The painting, "Composition de 7 figures, cintrée dans le haut", appeared in the Bonnemet sale (4-14 December 1771, no. 118). It was again sold by Randon de Boisset (27 February 1777, no. 223), then by Papillon de la Ferté (20 February 1797, no. 97, where it is stated that "several angels support a drapery forming a canopy", and the work is composed of "7 figures". Although this number of figures is not to be found in our sanguine, and the composition appears to be complete, there is nothing to prevent us from imagining, according to Benjamin Salama1, that Doyen's mind may have evolved before he painted his subject. Salama is cautious in analysing the authorship of this sheet, pointing out that the treatment of the drapery is less characteristic of the artist's style, and that the Virgin's face is unusual. In his opinion, the sheet could be dated to around 1765-1770, just as he was beginning to make a name for himself as a religious painter thanks to the major commission for the Invalides and the success of the Miracle des Ardents. For the very pure profile of Saint Catherine, Doyen seems to have been looking to the Parma Renaissance, in particular Parmigianino's Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine (perhaps he was familiar with the copy in the Louvre, which came from the Jabach collection and was then placed in the Cabinet du Billard). This sheet has given rise to a back print heightened with red chalk (former Jean-Baptiste-Eugène Gallice collection)2 and an eighteenth-century copy recently put up for sale3. We would like to thank Benjamin Salama for his help in writing this note. 1 - Marc Sandoz, Gabriel François Doyen, 1726-1806', Paris, 1975, p. 46, no. 42 2 - Anonymous sale; Brussels, Vanderkindere, 15 December 2020, lot 182, 43.3 x 34.1 cm (as an entourage of François Boucher) 3 - Anonymous sale; Auxerre, Auxerre Enchères, 4 June 2023, lot 357, 41 x 31 cm. (as a French 18th century school in the style of François Boucher)