William Bouguereau

Knoedler & Co., Paris (acquired directly from the artist)
Knoedler & Co., New York, no. 7770 (transferred from Paris in November 1894)
Gross & van Gigch, Chicago (in March 1895)
Private Collection
John Levy Galleries, New York (by December 1932)
Findlay Galleries, Chicago
Henry Morgen, Libertyville, Illinois (until 1959)
Ann G. Morgen (acquired from the above, her husband)
Ruth and Meyer Wasser, Chicago (acquired from the above, Ruth's aunt)
Loaned to The Art Institute of Chicago from 1995 and gifted in 2001 (Gift of Henry Morgen, Ann G. Morgen, Meyer Wasser, and Ruth G. Wasser)

New York, The John Levy Galleries, Back to Bouguereau, December 12-December 13, 1932 (as The Harvest Girl)

Marius Vachon, W. Bouguereau, Paris, 1900, p. 258
"Charlot Writes of New Interest in Bouguereau's Art," Art News, 1932, no. 13, p. 9, illustrated
Mark Steven Walker, "A Summary Catalogue of the Paintings," in William-Adolphe Bouguereau: L'Art Pompier, exh. cat., New York, 1991, p. 74

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. This painting is in lovely condition, however, it does seem to be quite dirty. The canvas seems to have an old glue lining but the paint there is stable and well textured. Under ultraviolet light no retouches are visible, but beneath an old yellow varnish there may be a few light retouches in the right side of the forehead and in the right temple and a few spots on the nose and the upper shoulder. These are visible to the naked eye because they appear to have blanched, so there may be restorations here even though they don't show under ultraviolet light elsewhere. We are unable to detect any other restorations, and it's more than likely that the possible retouches in the face are cosmetic and probably not necessary. It is all conceivable that these slightly lighter areas on the nose, the forehead, and on the nape of the neck are highlights intended by the artist but only if the picture is cleaned will the nature of these small spots be known.
"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."

An almost perfect illustration of the pastoral works of lyrical poets such as Virgil and Ronsard, this painting represents one of the popular rustic scenes that appealed to Bouguereau throughout his long career. The 1894 date of this work testifies to his lifelong interest in subjects of this kind, to which he devoted himself with as much passion as he did his other themes (see lots 32, 34, 37, 39, 42, 43, 44).  Again and again, Bouguereau delighted in choosing contemporary genre subjects; his heroine became the humble peasant girl from the farm or seaside. This pastoral theme - almost always a single peasant girl in a landscape - became the subject matter that proved to be Bouguereau's most popular.  It resulted in his commercial and financial success; he died a very rich man in 1905.

However, a number of other factors may have influenced Bouguereau's choice of subject.   Rustic scenes and figurative painting were enjoying widespread popularity at the time and Bouguereau himself had studied under Oscar Gué, an artist who worked in this particular genre. Also worth mentioning is his relationship with rival painter, Hugues Merle (see lot 42).  Both artists competed for commissions from the top collectors of the time (mostly Americans) and both realized that the pretty peasant girl was the subject most in demand.  Also, the influential gallery owners Durand-Ruel and Goupil, certainly understood Bouguereau's commercial appeal in the marketplace, and most likely played a role in directing his choice of subject.

In addition to an obvious affinity for the refined brushwork of Raphael, Bouguereau's hieratic depiction of the girl (with priestess-like stature) and his deliberate idealization of quotidian activities seem to announce the arrival of the Symbolist and Rosicrucian movements. This painting, with its imaginative and subjective qualities, illustrates a connection between Bouguereau and Symbolist painters such as Edgard Maxence (see lot 160).  

The present work was most likely painted in 1893 in Bouguereau's villa on the rue Verdière in La Rochelle, where he would spend his summer holidays in August and September. Consequently, it seems quite likely that the model was a young "Rochelaise" or from a neighboring village. 

The artist drew inspiration for other paintings depicting summer and the harvest from the early 1890s: La jeune ouvrière, Le lever, and Marchande de pommes, to name but a few.