"Le tambour national" and "Le chapeau national" by Jean-Baptiste HUET

"The National Drum" and "The National Hat", pair of watercolor pen and ink drawings.

Signed and dated lower left of each drawing: "J.B. HÜET 1790".

This pair of drawings appeared in the exhibition "Paris & la Révolution" presented at the Musée Carnavalet, Paris, in March-April 1931 under numbers 205 & 206 (Cf catalog photos 8 & 9). The exhibition catalog will be supplied to the buyer.

Provenance:
- Collection Adolphe Fould, his sale at Hôtel Drouot, Paris May 14 & 15, 1875, N°89 & 90
- Collection of Viscount G. de Gaalon
- Exhibition: Paris & la Révolution, Musée Carnavalet, Paris 1931, N°205 & 206
- Sold by Lionel Luneau, antiquaire rue Racine, Nantes
- By descent in the family.

These drawings were engraved by Louis-Marin Bonnet.

Jean-Baptiste HUET was born in Paris on October 15, 1745 and died there on August 27, 1811. He spent most of his career in Paris, training first in his family environment. He was later taught by the animal painter Charles Dagomer. His work was also inspired by
the example of Italian and Flemish Renaissance and Baroque painting.
He excelled in light-hearted pastoral scenes and sheepfolds, which attest to the filiation of his style with that of François Boucher.
Enriched by these influences, Huet developed a naturalist, graceful style. He excelled in pastorals recounting the tender loves of shepherds, poetic landscapes and animal subjects.
Representative of the serene and somewhat carefree 18th century, Huet's art is a wonderful tribute to the beauty of nature, between reverie and fascination.
Huet also remains associated with Oberkampf's Manufacture de Jouy, for whom he supplied models of canvases that are still in circulation today.
He exhibited regularly at the Salon until 1789, encouraged by the critics. His taste for engraving brought him into early contact with Gilles Demarteau, Demeuse l'Aîné, Louis-Marin Bonnet and Antoine Duruisseau, who engraved many of his works, helping to spread the painter's fame.
His works were also used as tapestry cartoons at the Manufacture de Beauvais. The Musée Nissim de Camondo preserves an example.
Around 1790, Huet was entrusted with the reorganization of the Beauvais and Gobelins manufactories.

Huet can be found in many museums and institutions: the Louvre, MAD in Paris, Musée Cognac-Jay, Musée de Lyon, Musée de Nantes, British Museum, etc.

An exhibition was devoted to him at the Musée Cognac-Jay in 2016.

Dimensions of drawings: 12.7 cm X 16.9 cm and 12.5 cm X 17 cm.
Framed dimensions: 33.5 cm X 38 cm.

Ref: JSGFW4LDJO