William Bouguereau

Goupil & Cie., Paris (acquired directly from the artist in March 1867 as Le catéchisme)
Knoedler, New York (acquired from the above in May 1867)
Schweitzer Gallery, Inc., New York
Private American Collection (and sold: Sotheby's, New York, May 23, 1996, lot 139, illustrated)
Private American Collection (acquired at the above sale and sold: Sotheby's, New York, October 24 & 26, 2006, lot 90, illustrated
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Lexington, University of Kentucky Art Museum, Academic Paintings & Drawings, October 28-November 18, 1973

The artist's accounts (as La lecture (tête d'étude))
Charles Vendryes, Dictionnaire illustré des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1885, p. 36
Franqueville, William Bouguereau, Paris, 1895
Marius Vachon, W. Bouguereau, Paris, 1900, p. 148
Mark Steven Walker, "William-Adolphe Bouguereau, A Summary Catalogue of the Paintings," William-Adolphe Bouguereau, L'Art Pompier, exh. cat., Borghi & Co., New York, 1992, p. 69
Damien Bartoli and Frederick Ross, William Bouguereau, His Life and Works, New York, 2010, p. 186, illustrated pl. 83 and as frontispiece
Damien Bartoli and Frederick Ross, William Bouguereau Catalogue Raisonné of his Painted Works, New York, 2010, p. 94, no. 1867/01, illustrated, and as frontispiece

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting is in very good condition. Partially due to the reasonably early period where Bouguereau's technique is more thorough and partially due to the care that the painting has received. The canvas is lined; the paint layer is clean and has been recently varnished. No restorations can be detected and no further restoration should be applied. The painting should be hung as is.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Bouguereau was awarded the Prix de Rome in 1850, a scholarship that allowed foreign study in Italy that dates back to the seventeenth century. It was his first artistic accolade and allowed him to travel broadly and devour the country's visual culture. In fact, his endless pursuit of knowledge and appetite for viewing art earned him the nickname "Sisyphus" back in Rome. What he saw and felt at this time would inform his artistic trajectory for the rest of his career, particularly the works of the Renaissance masters, and especially Raphael. Bouguereau would become most celebrated for adopting and refining their techniques, by applying his own unique approach, to create beautiful and powerful compositions.  

In the present work, the sitter holds a Livre D'Heures (Book of Hours), which is a small volume that was intended for readers who wanted to incorporate monasticism into their devotional life. These small volumes were often richly decorated, appealing to the layman who would have benefitted from the illustrations of prayers and psalms, excerpts from each of the four gospels, a litany of saints, a calendar of church feasts, among other notes. Also included were thirty-seven prayers to the Virgin Mary which contributes to the book being seen as feminine, and is most often held by a female sitter in portraiture to symbolize virtue and contemplation.

To highlight such an object in his portrait is not uncharacteristic of Bouguereau and lends character to the sitter. By dressing her in romanticized peasant garb, he presents a secular interpretation of a traditionally overt religious theme.