Hugues Merle

Sir Wm Cunliffe Brooks (according to an old paper label on the reverse)
J. Pierpont Morgan, esq., New York (according to an old paper label on the reverse)
Mitchell Galleries

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting has an old glue lining which is still very effective. The painting is noticeably dirty with a thick yellowed varnish. This varnish baffles inspection under ultraviolet light and no retouches were able to be detected. A visual examination indicates that the work is in beautiful condition. The faces and figures seem to be in extremely healthy state, with perhaps only a few retouches in the background and in the brocade on the chair in the left. The picture would respond very well to restoration.
"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."

After studying with Léon Cogniet, Hugues Merle became a regular contributor to the Salon between 1847 and 1880, up until the last year of his life, receiving medals for his entries in 1861 and 1863. His themes of maternal love found a ready audience with newly affluent art patrons in America. In fact, by 1878-9, in his Art Treasures of America, Edward Strahan could cite as many as 52 works by Merle in American collections. His reputation was equally great at home in France, where he enjoyed the patronage of the Duc de Morny and also enjoyed the support of Adolphe Goupil, the most prestigious art dealer in Paris whose other leading artists included William Bouguereau and Jean-Léon Gèrôme.

Merle was most often associated with his friend and rival, Bouguereau, not only because they depicted similar subjects but also employed a high finish and naturalistic technique. Merle was just two years older than Bouguereau, and their thematic and artistic similarities begged comparison from critics and collectors alike.