LOUIS GABRIEL EUGÈNE ISABEY (1803-1886) La défense du château

signed and dated ‘E. Isabey 68’ (lower right) oil on canvas laid on panel 83.2 x 57.5 cm painted in 1868 Provenance: A. Liebermann de Wahlenhorf, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 8-9 May 1876, lot 45. S. Von Derwies, Galeries Georges Petit, Paris, 15 November 1906, lot 20. Colonel C. Michael Paul, Palm Beach, Florida. Sale Sotheby's, New York, 23 May 1990, lot 163. Sale Sotheby’s London, 16 November 1994, lot 67. Sale Christie’s New York, 22 April 2004, lot 157. Sale Stair Galleries Hudson NY, 15 October 2011, lot 371. Private collection Literature: Pierre Miquel, Eugène Isabey: La Marine au XIXe Siècle, Maurs la Jolie, p. 220, no. 1258D (illustrated) Authenticity expertise is available on request. This painting belonged to the collection of the well-known patron Sergey Pavlovich von Derwies (1863-1943). Derwies acquired it at the auction of the famous Berlin collection of Adolf Lieberman von Wahlenhorf (1829-1893) at Hôtel Drouot in Paris on May 8-9, 1876 (lot 45). The painting was kept in Derwies 's mansion in St. Petersburg (Angliyskaya Naberezhnaya 34 [English Embankment 34]) and was published in the catalogue "Galerie Serge Von Derwies" in 1904. In 1906, Sergey Pavlovich left Russia and placed his collection up for sale. this present painting was auctioned at the Galeries Georges Petit in Paris (Galeries Georges Petit, 15 November 1906, lot 20). The present painting holds distinct museum significance. Sergey Pavlovich Derwies (1863-1943) was an entrepreneur and patron. He was the son of P.G. Derwies, a prominent concessionaire and railway builder. His childhood was spent at his father's villa, "Valrose" in Nice. He studied at the legal and historical-philological faculties of St. Petersburg University. From 1888, he served as the chairman of the board of the Russian Musical Society. He was one of the founders of the Russian Trade and Industrial Bank (1889). From 1895 to 1900, he held special assignments in the Ministry of Justice and, in 1901, moved to the Ministry of Finance. After the 1905 revolution, he decided to leave Russia, sold off his Russian possessions and settled in the Villa Mediterranee in Cannes. We thank Sergei Podstanitsky for confirming the authenticity of this painting and providing authenticity expertise.