Pierre Bonnard

Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris
Percy Moore Turner, London (acquired from the above in 1928)
Galerie Charpentier, Paris
Gabriel Fodor, Paris
Acquavella Galleries, New York
Private Collection, New York
Sale: Christie's, New York, 12th November 1997, lot 226
Private Collection, Santa Barbara
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Louis Vauxcelles, Pierre Bonnard, Paris, 1935, illustrated n.p.
Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint, 1906-1919, Paris, 1968, vol. II, no. 426, illustrated p. 61  

The canvas is lined. There are scattered spots and lines of retouching to the brown background, concentrated towards the upper left corner. There are several lines of retouching to the back of the nude, some areas of retouching above the basket of clothes, and also several spots of retouching to the chair. There are lines of retouching running across the bottom, left and right edges. All retouching is visible under UV light. This work is in fair condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Bonnard met Maria Boursin, or Marthe as the artist called her, in Montmartre during the spring of 1893. She began to pose for him and became his companion in the autumn of that same year. They were married much later, in 1925, and remained close until Marthe's death in 1942. She became an omnipresent yet almost anonymous figure in Bonnard's œuvre, her face absent or unexpressive, an element in domestic scenes, attending to the unchanging routines of everyday life: reading, lunch, naps, bathing or dressing. Her slender anatomy, long legs and narrow hips, has a somewhat child-like appearance. The painter was to depict her like this throughout his career; her long supple body frozen in eternal youth, as if the passage of time could not change her in any way.