Lot 65
  • 65

William Bouguereau

Estimate
150,000 - 200,000 USD
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Description

  • William-Adolphe Bouguereau
  • La Tentation
  • signed W-BOUGUEREAU (lower right)
  • oil on canvas laid down on board
  • 23 1/8 by 31 1/8 in.
  • 58.7 by 79 cm

Provenance

Goupil & Cie, Paris, no. 14915 (acquired directly from the artist in 1880)
Alfred Joseph Annedouche (the creator of the painting's engraving)
Goupil & Cie, Paris
William Schaus (acquired from the above on March 8, 1882)
Potter Palmer, Chicago
Harry and Jane Hollis, Chicago (possibly acquired from the above, Mr. Hollis' employer)
Clara (Holly) Hollis MacLean (by descent from the above, her parents)
Thence by descent to the present owner

Literature

Mark Steven Walker, "A Summary Catalogue of the Paintings," in William-Adolphe Bouguereau, L'Art Pompier, exh. cat., New York, 1991, p. 74

Condition

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting on canvas has been mounted onto board. The paint layer is stable and although in an ideal world the canvas would be un-mounted, its current presentation does not hinder the appreciation of the picture. The paint layer is visibly dirty, except for the sky and some of the foliage in the upper right. It seems that here the picture has been partially cleaned, yet not in any other part of the picture. There may be a restoration situated in the trees above the head of the child. Under ultraviolet light the change between the clean paint layer in the upper right and the areas which are still covered with varnish is clearly visible. This painting should be restored but it does not necessarily need to be removed from its board.
"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."

Catalogue Note

La Tentation is a tender depiction of the timeless subject of mother and child.  Set within a wooded landscape, a young mother reclines on the forest floor with her baby daughter. Bouguereau accurately renders the foreshortening of the mother's torso and the naturalistic proportions of the child's body, drawing attention to their delicate features by placing them against a field of green foliage. The title is suggestive of the proverbial fruit of the Garden of Eden, as the golden-red apple figures prominently in the painting. Further biblical references can be inferred from Fronia Wissman's discussion of the large version of La Tentation (1880, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts) and its place among Bouguereau's homages to mother and child.

According to Damien Bartoli, as with many reductions completed after 1869, the present work was probably painted by Bouguereau with the assistance of one of his students; Bouguereau would have been responsible for the figure group, while relegating the background details to members of his Workshop.  Records indicate that it was then sold through Goupil's gallery in 1880 as by Bouguereau.