A rare Jean-Antoine Watteau drawing, never before publicly exhibited, and a major Jean-Honoré Fragonard painting will be auctioned at Christie’s Paris on March 25. The works come from the collection of the late Arthur Georges Veil-Picard, a banker and absinthe magnate who assembled a world-class trove of 18th-century French art over 40 years. The Watteau, *Actor Holding a Guitar Under His Arm*, was previously known only from a black-and-white photograph in the artist’s catalogue raisonné and is estimated at €600,000–800,000. The Fragonard, *The Happy Family*, from the 1770s, carries an estimate of €1.5–2 million. The sale also includes works by Hubert Robert, Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, and Marie-Suzanne Roslin, with total estimates reaching €5–8 million.
This auction matters because it unveils a legendary private collection that has been largely hidden from public view for decades, known only through black-and-white reproductions. The Veil-Picard collection is considered one of the most mysterious and coveted in art history, and its dispersal offers scholars, collectors, and museums rare access to museum-quality Old Master works. The sale also highlights the enduring market for 18th-century French art and the continued fascination with Watteau and Fragonard, whose works remain benchmarks of the Rococo period. Additionally, the collection’s wartime seizure and restitution add a layer of historical significance.