JEAN RESTOUT, attr.

JEAN RESTOUT THE YOUNGER, attributed. THE MEETING OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND ROXANE JEAN RESTOUT THE YOUNGER Rouen 1692 – 1768 Paris Pen, ink, and watercolor on paper 23.5 x 32.5 cm / 9.3 x 12.8 inches; mat 31 x 42 cm / 12.2 x 16.5 inches, unframed in the lower left corner is the inscription of the early 19th-century owner: Jean Restoux Col. de Spengler n 976 The owner's initials (J.C.S.) and coat of arms are printed in the center at the bottom of the paper sheet PROVENANCE Collection of Johan Conrad Spengler (1767-1839), Director of the Museum and Art Gallery, Copenhagen France, private collection Like all the great artists of the academic tradition, Jean II Restout considered drawing not only as a preparatory phase for painting but as an autonomous process in which ideas crystallize, composition is refined, and artistic forms come to life. In his addenda to the conference Les Principes de la Peinture, he describes in detail the method he followed in constructing compositions, revealing a complex system of working on the drawing. Restout, following the tradition of his master Jean Jouvenet, insisted on the importance of deep concentration before making the first mark on the paper: "One must observe one's subject with the utmost attention," he writes, "and then let one's thoughts rest freely on the paper." This is not a chaotic process of improvisation, but a structured system, in which the first stage consists of defining the main masses. He advised starting with the most important forms in perspective and outlining the background of the composition separately to better perceive the spatial distribution. Only then were the figures developed, each in its plane, in accordance with the perspective reduction. This approach is perfectly visible in the drawing depicting the meeting between Alexander the Great and Roxane. Originating from the collection of Johan Conrad Spengler (1767–1839), director of the Museum and Painting Gallery of Copenhagen and a celebrated collector of 18th-century French graphics, the drawing left Denmark in the early 20th century and has since remained in French and Belgian collections. The artist chose a fundamental episode in the life of the great conqueror for his drawing. In 327 BC, Alexander the Great, advancing into the heart of Central Asia, reached the borders of Sogdiana, a region that represented the last bastion of resistance to his conquests. The key episode in this campaign was the siege of the Sogdian Rock, a fortress whose defenders, convinced of the inaccessibility of their position, refused to surrender. However, Alexander, demonstrating his extraordinary military ingenuity, ordered his best soldiers to climb the summit in the heart of the night. At dawn, when the Sogdians saw the Macedonians on top of the cliff, all resistance became futile: the fortress surrendered. Among the prisoners was Roxane, daughter of the Sogdian nobleman Oxyartes. According to ancient historians, Alexander was struck by her beauty. Quintus Curtius Rufus recounts this moment with solemnity: "Alexander, seeing among the prisoners a maiden of extraordinary beauty named Roxane, daughter of Oxyartes, fell deeply in love with her and, believing that marriage to her would strengthen his power over the conquered lands, decided to marry her." This decision combined personal passion and strategic calculation: an alliance with the Sogdian aristocracy would facilitate the integration of the new territories into the Macedonian empire. Arrian, in his Anabasis of Alexander, also emphasizes that Roxane was considered one of the most beautiful women in the East, which likely influenced the great leader's choice. Restout's drawing can be dated to the period 1730–1740, when the artist was working on a pair of overdoors illustrating the life of Abdalonymus, commissioned by the Duke of Chevreuse (now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Orléans). These works are characterized by a frontal, slightly lowered viewpoint, a technique also found in this drawing. Furthermore, one of his paintings, in particular Abdolonyme paraissant devant Alexandre en costume royal, presents a significant compositional similarity to the drawing. So far, no pictorial work by the artist on this subject has been identified, making this drawing an interesting subject for future research.