William Bouguereau

Goupil & Cie., Paris (acquired from the artist in November 1874 as Approche de la têmpete: deux jeunes filles en pied, réduction)
Herdzle & Peters (in February 1876)
N. Chanlery
M. Knoedler & Co., New York
S.M. Vose, Providence, Rhode Island
George Den Hooander, Sydney, Australia
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, October 29, 1987, lot 92, illustrated
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Ludovic Baschet, Catalogue illustré des oeuvres de W. Bouguereau, Paris, 1885, p. 51 (as Réduction du même tableau [L'Orage] pour la gravure
Mark Steven Walker, "William-Adolphe Bouguereau, A Summary Catalogue of the Paintings," WIlliam-Adolphe Bouguereau, L'Art Pompier, exh. cat., New York, 1992, p. 69

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting is in very good condition. The canvas has been lined using wax as an adhesive. The paint layer is stable and has been cleaned and varnished recently. The retouches are only visible under ultraviolet light and are very accurately and sparingly applied to a few isolated dots in the background. The only small concentration of retouches is in the waves center left. The hands and faces are, for the most part, without retouches, except for the mouth of the taller girl and the cheek of the smaller girl. Overall, the condition is good.
"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."

During his early career Bouguereau was regularly asked to paint réductions of his most important works.  Jules Goupil, his exclusive dealer from 1866 onwards, commissioned these reductions; they both satisfied the demands of avid collectors wishing to acquire the no-longer available original and provided print-makers with a more manageable-sized canvas to copy. While many of Bouguereau's reductions are faithful reproductions of the corresponding large versions, the background of the present work differs significantly from that of the larger version (sold in these rooms on January 26, 1979, lot 176, illustrated). The réduction would typically have remained with Bouguereau or Goupil longer, and therefore it makes sense that Annedouche's engraving presents the background of the present work rather than the larger version.  In the present work, craggy mountain peaks fill the background (versus the expanse of swirling clouds in the larger version) as white foamed waves crash against jagged rocks.  Interestingly such changes serve to intensify the composition's dramatic effect, as the storm closes in on two girls holding each other for protection against nature's power.  While the dark-haired girl looks to the side, away from the viewer, her blonde companion stares directly at us, her eyes the same color of the stormy skies.  Such an emotional connection between the painted subject and the audience is an important element in Bouguereau's most successful portraits of children.

According to Damien Bartoli, as with many réductions completed after 1869, the present work was probably painted by Bouguereau with the assistance of one of his students; Bouguereau would likely 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 1874 directly by the artist.