Alfred Sisley

Galerie Durand-Ruel et Cie, Paris (acquired from the artist on September 6, 1883)

Catholina A. Lambert, New York (acquired from the above)

Durand-Ruel Galleries, New York (acquired from the above on April 14, 1899)

Durand-Ruel Galleries, New York (in 1949)

Private Collection, Switzerland (sold: Christie's, New York, May 2, 2006, lot 4)

Acquired at the above sale

New York, Durand-Ruel Galleries, Sisley, 1914, no. 18

New York, Durand-Ruel Galleries, Sisley, 1935, no. 11

Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, Sisley, 1957, no. 38

Bern, Kunstmuseum, Alfred Sisley, 1958, no. 46

Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, Sisley, 1971, no. 36

 

François Daulte, Alfred Sisley, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Lausanne, 1959, no. 457, illustrated

Mary Anne Stevens, Alfred Sisley (exhibition catalogue), Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1992, discussed note 28, p. 72

Excellent condition. Original canvas. Under ultra-violet light there is 1 small spot of inpainting at the extreme upper edge to the right of center, almost undetectable. There are also some very minor scattered specks of inpainting in the extreme upper left corner. Otherwise the work is virtually untouched and in excellent condition.
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.

Sisley was fascinated by the river Loing and its tributaries, and he painted it from a multitude of viewpoints throughout the 1880s.   In the present work he has set up his easel along the path leading to the one of the river's canals, where locals would launch their boats into the water.  Juxtaposing brushstrokes of bright yellow, green and purple tones, he captures the shifting effect of sunlight and shadows and the reflection of some nearby houses on the surface of the water. As one of the leading Impressionist landscapists, Sisley was always interested in recording the changing play of light on the water.  For this picture, he chose to paint the scene on a bright summer day, when the sky was an intense blue and dotted with scattered clouds. 

This work was once in the collection of Catholina A. Lambert, a major industrialist on the East Coast, who had residences in New York and New Jersey.   By the turn of the century, Lambert had amassed an art collection that was so large that he built a castle called the "Bella Vista" (now the Passaic County Historical Society) to display all of his treasures.