William Bouguereau

Goupil (received directly from the artist, and entered into their inventory as no. 4162, titled Tête d'enfant, étude)
Knoedler, New York (acquired from the above by late 1870)
Hy Hartlay, 568  Fifth Avenue, New York (acquired from the above)
Private Collection, Southern United States, since circa 1900
Thence by descent 

Painted in 1865 and revised in 1869.

The small scale and plain background of this picture suggest to the viewer that it is a study of the sort Bouguereau frequently made while working out the composition for a major painting.  These preparatory works allow a glimpse into the artist’s working method.  Adhering to the grand tradition, his figures always derived from the study of models but were idealized to ensure that they met the rigorous standards of classical beauty and proportion.  Only when Bouguereau was satisfied that he had resolved all the challenges of human form and composition would he incorporate the figures into the larger scheme of his pictures.

The painting offered here relates to La grande sœur, a work of 1865 currently in a private North American collection.  It is a portrait of Émilienne Césil-Biegler, a girl born in 1859 to an unwed mother who served in the Bouguereau household.  Émilienne remained one of Bouguereau’s favorite models, appearing frequently in works from 1864 to 1867, notable among which are La sœur aînée, La prière, Bulles de savon, Le réveil, and Le lever. 

The pose of the young model in the study corresponds exactly to that in the finished work.  As was his habit, Bouguereau kept this study. However, for reasons unknown, the artist took it up again in April and May of 1869 making it a complete work in its own right.  He then signed, but left undated, this charming small picture and offered it to his dealer, Adolphe Goupil, to sell.