Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Private Collection, France (acquired circa 1940s; sale: Christie's, New York, 2nd November, 2005, lot 388)
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, 6th May 2009, lot 162
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Ambroise Vollard, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Tableaux, pastels et dessins, San Francisco, 1989, vol. II, no. 477, illustrated p. 120 (titled as Nu de femme)
Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, 1903-1910, Paris, 2012, vol. IV, no. 3492, illustrated p. 480

The canvas is lined. UV examination reveals a spot of retouching and two further pin-sized dots pertaining to flecks of paint loss towards the upper left corner. There are few further very small spots of paint loss to the green pigment to the centre of the left edge and the red pigment to the centre of the upper edge. This work is in overall good 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."

In the last years of his life, Renoir devoted himself to recreating an idyllic world largely undisturbed by references to modernity. The female nude had figured prominently in his work from his earliest years, and it proved to be a subject for which his attention never waned. In treatment, it had ranged from the high Impressionism of the Torse de femme au soleil of 1876 to the icy classical perfection of the Grandes baigneuses of 1887. After 1900, the nude became his most important theme, one that enabled him to unite responsiveness to the physical presence of his models, with his awareness of historical continuity.

Femme nue dans un intérieur is a superb example of Renoir's mature style, underscoring his ability to capture the feminine form with fluid, loose brushwork.  His unusual painting technique builds up a shimmering paint surface that gives his late nudes their distinctive quality. This style allowed Renoir to showcase an astonishing mastery of a broad range of painterly effects. John House has noted that he was able to 'combine breadth with extreme delicacy of effect. [...]  At times he painted very thinly and with much medium over a white priming, particularly in his backgrounds, allowing the tone and texture of the canvas to show through, and creating effects almost like watercolour. His figures tend to be more thickly painted, but not with single layers of opaque colour; instead fine streaks of varied hue are built up, which create a varied, almost vibrating surface' (John House in Renoir (exhibition catalogue), Hayward Gallery, London; Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris & Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1985-86, p. 278).