Lot 3226* - A217 Impressionist & Modern Art - Friday, 26. June 2026, 04.30 PM
LOUIS VALTAT
(Dieppe 1869–1952 Paris)
La Mer de Glace à Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. 1903.
Oil on canvas.
Signed lower right: L. Valtat.
60 × 73 cm.
Certificate:
Provenance:
- Private collection Paris, acquired from the above on 30 June 2000.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the region around Chamonix developed into one of the most important centres of early Alpine tourism. The previously difficult-to-access glacial landscape of the Mer de Glace gradually became accessible to travellers and artists through the increasing exploration of the Mont Blanc massif, the construction of pathways and the work of local mountain guides. From as early as the 1820s and 1830s, the glacier ranked among Europe’s most visited natural attractions and drew numerous painters who studied the spectacular interplay of ice, light and high-mountain scenery.
For artists such as Louis Valtat, the Mer de Glace around 1900 therefore no longer represented untouched terrain, but rather an established, but still deeply impressive, setting for artistic engagement with Alpine nature.
For artists such as Louis Valtat, the Mer de Glace around 1900 therefore no longer represented untouched terrain, but rather an established, but still deeply impressive, setting for artistic engagement with Alpine nature.
CHF 50 000 / 70 000 | (€ 51 550 / 72 160)
Sold for CHF 125 000 (including buyer's premium)