Gustave Caillebotte

Georges Caillebotte
Mme. Albert Chardeau, Paris
Galerie Lorenceau, Paris
Wisselingh, Amsterdam, by 1974
Galerie Hopkins Custot, Paris

Paris, Exposition Rétrospective d'oeuvres de Gustave Caillebotte, Galerie Durand-Ruel, 1894, no. 102
Paris, Rétrospective Gustave Caillebotte, Salon d'Automne, 1921, no. 2739
New York, Wildenstein Gallery, A Loan Exhibition of Paintings Gustave Caillebotte, 1968, no. 43
Amsterdam, Kunsthandel Gebr. Douwes, Franse Schilders 1820-1920, 1975, no. 10

A. Taburant, "le peintre Caillebotte et sa collection", Le Bulletin de la vie artistique, August 1, 1921, reproduced p. 408
Marie Berhaut, La vie et l'oeuvre de Gustave Caillebotte, Paris, 1951, no. 170
Marie Berhaut, Caillebotte, Sa Vie et son Oeuvre, Catalogue Raisonné des peintures et pastels, Paris, 1978, no. 179, illustrated p. 142 
Marie Berhaut, Gustave Caillebotte, Catalogue Raisonné des peintures et pastels, Paris, 1994, no. 194, illustrated p. 148 

Very Good Condition. Lined canvas. Surface is slightly dirty with a small amount of craquelure in darker pigments of birds. Under UV light some original pigment fluoresces but no inpainting is apparent.
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.

Gustave Caillebotte draws on a vivid still life tradition in the present work.  Game trophies, particularly birds, have made compelling subject matter for painters since Frans Snyders and Jan Fyt popularized the genre at the beginning of the 17th century in Flanders. The great geniuses of still life painting, including Chardin, perfected the tradition, which owes its enduring appeal to the pleasures of country life and field sport that it evokes.  Hunting traditionally was a recreation reserved for the elite, so hanging an image of game birds implied a certain social position as well as a taste for the outdoors.

Caillebotte himself enjoyed these associations.  "A bachelor, wealthy, living quietly outside Paris, cultivating his garden, painting, and building ships, Caillebotte was a modest man." [John Rewald, The History of Impressionism, 4th ed., New York, 1973, p. 349.]   In fact, it was through his love of the outdoors in general and of sailing in particular (he owned several yachts), that Caillebotte came to know Monet and Renoir.

The artist must have been attracted to the painterly challenges of the subject as well.  Caillebotte renders the delicate texture of feathers and their diffuse reflections deploying simple, distinct brushstrokes with astonishing economy and precision.