Henri Lebasque

Arthur Tooth and Sons, London
Private Collection, Indiana

New York, Dorsky Gallery, Henri Lebasque, no. 264

Good condition. Original canvas. Under UV light, there are few strokes of inpainting near top edge to address frame abrasion. Also several scattered pinhead-size spots of inpainting in the background in the white pigments above the figure and to the right of the figure. There are 5-10 scattered pinhead-size spots of inpainting in figure's hands, face and hat, and a few minor spots in bottom of dress. Some of the dark red pigments fluoresce, but appear to be original.
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In 1907, Henri Lebasque spent some time with his family at Pierrefonds in Picardy at the edge of the forêt de Compeigne. The present painting depicts the artist's daughter Marthe, walking barefoot in the forest. Inspired by his children, Lebasque devoted much of his time to painting them in idyllic settings. Marthe recalls "how her father would entice his children to pose for him 'come here for a little look' he would say, and they would be caught for a short while as his swift brush conveyed their forms to the canvas" (Lebasque 1865 - 1937, Badford Press, 1986).