Pierre Bonnard

Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (acquired from the artist in 1917)
G. Manochi (acquired from the above)
Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 21st May 1943, lot 41
Sale: Palais Galliera, Paris, 28th November 1963, lot 32
Galerie Krugier & Cie., Geneva
Sale: Sotheby's, London, 1st July 1970, lot 48
Galerie Nichido, Tokyo
Private Collection, USA
Sale: Christie's, New York, 5th May 2004, lot 249
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Bonnard, œuvres récentes, 1917, no. 6
Nagoya, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art & Tokyo, Bunkamura Museum of Art, Pierre Bonnard, 1997, no. 57, illustrated in colour in the catalogue 

Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint, Paris, 1968, vol. II, no. 921, illustrated p. 422

The canvas is lined. There are three 3cm. sq. areas of intermittent retouching to the top of the girl's hat, with associated spots of retouching surrounding them. There are lines of retouching to the profile of the face, possibly by the artist, and intermittent lines of retouching to all four edges, possibly to cover previous frame rubbing. Apart from minor retouchings at intervals to the background, probably to cover paint thinning, this work is in fair condition. Colours: Overall much deeper and more subtle in the original.
"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."

Le Solfège is an intimate example of a domestic portrait. The theme of La vie bourgeoise is a subject that preoccupied Bonnard from the time of his intimiste interiors of the 1890s onwards. In the present work, the young boy is depicted in smart attire, wearing a black top and hat and with fashionable long blond ringlets. He is not, however, posing for the artist, but is captured in a private moment, studying his sheet music, and seemingly unaware of being observed and painted. The viewer on the other hand seems to be made acutely aware that what he is being asked to witness and participate in is the conscious process of looking.

Commenting on the artist's interiors, Denys Sutton noted: 'This desire to maintain at fever pitch the moment of creation, and to prolong the thrill of rapture determine the character of Bonnard's art. The finest of his...pictures throb with intensity. He secured a magical transformation of the real world so that the interior of his studio or [the wonderment of a child when facing ordinary things] assumes an infectious radiance' (D. Sutton, Pierre Bonnard (exhibition catalogue), Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1966, p. 24).