Camille Pissarro

Alexander Reid, Glasgow (and sold: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, June 11, 1898, lot 62)
Paul Durand-Ruel, Paris (acquired at the above sale and until 1942)
Thence by descent

Paris, 35 Boulevard des Capucines, 6e Exposition des Peintres Impressionnistes, 1881, no. 86
Paris, Galeries Durand-Ruel, Tableaux et gouaches par C. Pissarro, 1910, no. 72
Paris, Musée de l'Orangerie des Tuileries, Exposition du Centenaire de la naissance de Camille Pissarro, 1930, no. 3

Ludovic Rodo Pissarro & Lionello Venturi, Camille Pissarro, Son art - son oeuvre, vol. I, San Francisco, 1989, no. 1618, p. 303; illustrated vol. II, pl. 307

Executed on silk which is fixed between a window mat and board mount; the edges are therefore not visible. There are a few areas of very fine craquelure in the thicker pigments but otherwise pigments remain bright and fresh and the work appears in excellent 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Christopher Lloyd writes of this body of work: "For Pissarro the adoption of the fan as an art form came at a critical time, namely the close of the 1870s. To a certain extent the fan may have assisted Pissarro in his search for compositional unity. The emphasis that had to be placed on the two corners of the fan meant that figures were given prominence against the background. Landscapes and horizon lines in the upper half of the fan either have a horizontal emphasis or else echo the curvature of the fan itself. Whilst many of the compositions are reworkings of earlier works, Pissarro also showed considerable originality in this format. He sought different atmospheric effects in compositions of seasonal import, but at the same time did not spurn more 'modern' themes, such as the railway bridge at Pointoise and the port at Rouen'' (Christopher Lloyd, Pissarro, London, 1980, p. 235).

The subject of the present work, that of a village fête, is reminiscent of the paintings of Jean-François Millet and the Barbizon painters, celebrating the everyday life of farmers and peasants. While his landscapes depict the natural beauty of the French countryside, Pissarro also chooses to examine the complexity of space and perspective in a manner that was rare among the artists who explored this subject in the past.