Henri le Sidaner

signed Le Sidaner (lower right)
oil on canvas
100.5 by 80.5cm.

Painted in 1928.

Louise T. Adams, Huntington Beach, California (and sold: Sotheby Parke Bernet, Los Angeles, November 18, 1975, lot 1161)
Gallery Eugène Iglesias, Hollywood, California (acquired at the above sale)
M. Newman, London
Private Collection, Switzerland (and sold: Sotheby's, London, November 30, 1988, lot 167)
Richard Green Gallery, London (acquired at the above sale)
Acquired from the above

Pittsburgh, Carnegie Institute, Le Sidaner, 1929, no. 8

Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, Le Sidaner, L'Oeuvre peint et gravé, Milan, 1989, no. 637, illustrated p. 235

The work is in excellent condition. The canvas is not lined. The surface is richly textured and the impasto is well preserved. Under UV light, there are a couple areas of consolidated pindot strokes of in-painting in trellis at center left, as well as near the edges of the table and below the lower right edge of tablecloth.
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.

Henri Le Sidaner first visited Gerberoy in March 1901, when searching for a suitable country home which would serve as an escape from the worldly bustle of Paris. His son Rémy remembers that Le Sidaner "longed to plan a garden of his own, in which the landscape would be designed by him personally and in which he could achieve his favorite light effects. He mentioned this project to Auguste Rodin, who directed him to the Beauvais area. A potter living in Beauvais, answering to the name of Delaherche, recommended the village of Gerberoy” (quoted in Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, op. cit., p. 14). 

Le Sidaner rented a small cottage in the picturesque fortress town, eventually purchasing it in 1904. Situated sixty-five miles northwest of Paris on the border between Picardy and Normandy, Gerberoy is notable for its quaint blend of brick frame and timber homes and its cobblestone streets. The property he acquired was ideal for the ambitious plans he had for remodeling the space and extending it, which he did in 1910. These included an extension of the main house, a pavilion, studio barn, tower and extensive gardens. Like Monet's home and garden in Giverny, Le Sidaner’s home in Gerberoy was carefully constructed and arranged to provide endless inspiration and stimulating new subject matter. He paid particular attention to the flower garden in the courtyard, aiming to create harmony between the house and gardens, the outdoor space flowing indoors and vice versa.

The present work was painted during the period which saw the apex of the artist's mature style and sets a tender and atmospheric tone. A sense of understated mystery pervades, underscoring the artist's Symbolist roots. Le Sidaner meditates on the subject of light and color, with the white tureen gently complimenting the warmth of the green ivy. The carefully constructed still life, set outdoors, is typical of Le Sidaner's oeuvre of this time as is the complete lack of figures: “he considered that the silent harmony of things is enough to evoke the presence of those who live among them. Indeed, such presences are felt throughout his works. Deserted they may be but never empty” (Camille Mauclair, Henri Le Sidaner, Paris, 1928, p. 12).