SwissArtGallery · Documented identity
Joseph-Désiré Court was born in Rouen in 1797 and died in 1865. He began his artistic studies in his hometown before joining Gros’s studio. Appointed curator of the museum in Rouen in 1853, he practised portraiture and history painting. His works vary considerably in their scale.
The Woman on a Divan at the Musée Fabre, dated 1829, was acquired by Alfred Bruyas at the artist’s posthumous sale in 1866. The sitter’s identity remains uncertain. The Martyrdom of Saint Agnes, painted in 1864, exhibited at the Salon of 1865 and preserved in Rouen, measures 496 by 812 centimetres. Its restoration was completed in 2008. Comparing these two paintings demonstrates the different scales within Court’s practice.
This profile brings together identity references for Joseph-Désiré Court and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.
Piguet
References include catalogue entries and available results; they do not all represent completed sales.
Pastel
Jeune fille se cachant dans un bois
pastel
Catalogue period : 2025-06-05 — 2025-06-18
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
Estimate : CHF 600–800
View the lot at the auction house ↗
Oil on canvas
Portrait d'un officier d'état-major (probablement divisionnaire)
huile sur toile
Catalogue period : 2024-05-21 — 2024-06-05
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
Estimate : CHF 1500–2500
View the lot at the auction house ↗SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
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