(Dijon 1716–1803? Paris)
Fishermen and courtesans in a Mediterranean port at sunset; and Fishermen and Oriental merchants in a Mediterranean port at sunrise,
the first signed lower right: Lallemand/f, the second inscribed, signed and dated centre right on the fountain: S P. Q. D/OPT. MAXI/JB LALLEMA(ND)/IN FECIT/1772,
oil on canvas, each 53.5 x 69.5 cm, framed, a pair (2)

Provenance:
sale, Galerie Charpentier, Paris, 4 December 1956, lots 20 and 21;
sale, Christie’s New York, 25 May 2005, lot 61;
Private collection, Bavaria

The present coastal views are characteristic of Lallemand’s Mediterranean vedute. They reveal the influence of the view painter Claude-Joseph Vernet, whom Lallemand met in Rome, and feature motifs and elements popular with artists influenced by the latter in their recreation of an almost idyllic Mediterranean world – fishermen, classical ruins and warm Italian light. Also typical is the artist’s interest in different types of illumination - here the contrast between sunrise and sunset.

Born in Dijon, Lallemand moved to Paris to study painting in 1739. In 1745 he was made a member of the Académie de Saint Luc and two years later he moved to Rome, which was to be his base for the next 14 years. There, he was in contact with artists such as Etienne Parrocel and Claude-Joseph Vernet. By 1762, he had returned to Paris and in 1764 he exhibited a number of views of Rome and Naples, along with some architectural capricci and genre scenes, at the Académie de Saint Luc. From 1770 to 1773, he was in Dijon, where he contributed many topographical drawings to the Description générale et particulière de la France (or Voyage pittoresque de la France), which was published in 12 volumes between 1781 and 1796. In this period, Lallemand also continued to paint and exhibit landscapes and seascapes. He also tried his hand at the minor genres, such as rural subjects and village scenes inspired by Dutch 17th century artists.