Camille Pissarro

E.J. van Wisselingh & Co., Amsterdam
R.M. Thune & Co., Inc, New York 
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1987

Paris, Réunion de Musées Nationaux, Musée d'Orsay, Van Gogh, 1987, no. 96, illustrated in the catalogue 

Ludovic Rodo Pissarro & Lionello Venturi, Camille Pissarro, son art - son oeuvre, vol. I, San Francisco, 1989, no. 1619, catalogued p. 303; vol. II, no. 1619, illustrated pl. 308 

Work is executed on silk laid down on card. Card is T-hinged to a mount at five places along the perimeter. Tape residue on card extends onto silk at five places along bottom edge from a prior mounting. Foxing occuring along edges, for the most part outside of the image field, though there are a few spots at bottom left and bottom right visible on image. Overall work is in good 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.

As early as 1879, in the fourth Impressionist Exhibition, Pissarro exhibited twelve designs for fans. This new direction in his work, attributed partly to the influence of Edgar Degas, can also be placed in the larger context of the japonisme movement, in which many segments of the Parisian avant-garde found inspiration in the Japanese prints and decorative arts that began to be widely circulated in the 1860s.

Christopher Lloyd writes of this body of work: "For Pissarro the adoption of the fan as an art form came at a critical time, namely the close of the 1870s. To a certain extent the fan may have assisted Pissarro in his search for compositional unity. The emphasis that had to be placed on the two corners of the fan meant that figures were given prominence against the background. Landscapes and horizon lines in the upper half of the fan either have a horizontal emphasis or else echo the curvature of the fan itself...Pissarro also showed considerable originality in this format. He sought different atmospheric effects in compositions of seasonal import, but at the same time did not spurn more 'modern' themes, such as the railway bridge at Pointoise and the port at Rouen'' (Christopher Lloyd, Pissarro, London, 1980, p. 235).

Responding to the challenges of its unusual shape, Pissarro has filled the composition of the present work with many of the themes held most dear by the Impressionist group: that great symbol of encroaching modernity, the train, hurtles through the uppermost section of the fan, while the laborers at lower left enjoy a calm afternoon of fishing near the barges anchored at the side of the quai.