Maximilien Luce

Sale: Sotheby's, London, July 2, 1969, lot 51
Naeib Liehin (sold: Sotheby's, New York, May 21, 1982, lot 311)
Private Collection, Paris
Galerie Maxwell, San Francisco
Galerie Etienne Sassi, Paris
Private Collection, Switzerland

Philippe Cazeau, Maximilien Luce, Lausanne, 1982, illustrated p. 90
Jean Bouin-Luce and Denise Bazetoux, Maximilien Luce, Catalogue Raisonné de L'Oeuvre Peint, vol. 1, Paris, 1986, no. 1043, illustrated p. 94

Good condition. Canvas is unlined with a rich impasto. 2 1/2 inches in from the right center edge there is a triangular repair which was glue on the reverse to stabilize it and thin lines of inpainting which fluoresce under UV light. There is also a small spot of inpainting located a few inches above and right of steeple.
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.

In September, 1895 Luce accepted Camille Pissarro's invitation to visit him in Eragny-sur-Epte near Normandy. Despite his wife's inconsolable grief at the recent death of their infant son, Luce painted some of his most luminous and emotionally resonant landscapes during this period. After Luce's departure at the end of the month, Pissarro wrote to his son Lucien, "Luce and his wife left yesterday. He has worked a lot here and is taking away with him a nice little series of studies."

After being imprisoned in Mazas in 1894 for his anarchistic sympathies, Luce's arrival at Eragny provided a dramatic and vivacious departure from recent experiences. In contrast to the pictorial gravity of the urban and industrial scenes of northern France, the artist was clearly affected by the space and light in the countryside. Indeed, the works executed during this period are infused with a languid calm that persists in some of his finest compositions. Paysage au bord de la Rivière highlights the artist's ability to evoke lyrical beauty from the brilliant complexity of the rural landscape.