Claude Monet

Michel Monet, Giverny
O. Wertheimer, Paris
Knoedler & Co., New York
Private Collection, United States

Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet, Biographie e Catalogue raisonné, vol. IV,  Paris, 1985, no. 1619, illustrated p. 193
Daniel Wildenstein, Catalogue raisonné, vol. IV, Paris, 1996,  no. 1619, illustrated p. 722

Work is in very good condition. Canvas is lined but retains a richly textured surface. A few very minor cracks in thickest pigments at lower left and upper right. Stamped signature is faintly visible at lower right. Work has recently been lightly cleaned. Under UV light: Three small spots of inpainting near lower right corner as well as one small spot at lower left corner. A one inch area of retouching at upper right corner is visible as are a few strokes at the extreme edge by upper left due to prior frame abrasion, otherwise fine.
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.

Painted in the winter of 1899, the current work depicts the frozen surface of a wetland in the environs of the artist's beloved Giverny. Monet was particularly drawn to the effect of the winter season on this area and painted two successful oils on the subject during a cold spell in December, the current work and Le Marais à Giverny (Wildenstein, no. 1618) In the current work, he relishes the presence of human figures and the dynamism of their movement, a rarety in his later oeuvre. As Daniel Wildenstein notes of this work in the artist's catalogue raisonné, "...this one was painted on the Giverny marsh which 'in the winter, constituted a sheet of water stretching more than half a kilometer, [...] which, when frozen over, gave skaters [...] the opportunity for much enjoyment (J.P. Hoschedé, 1960, vol. I, p. 27)'" (Daniel Wildenstein, op. cit., p. 722).

Monet painted his first winter scene in Honfleur in 1865, and returned to the subject again in early 1867, in a series of winter landscapes inspired by a heavy snowfall that winter. Fascinated by snow and by the possibilities it offered him as a painter, and attracted by the unique quality of winter light, Monet executed a number of snowcovered landscapes throughout his career. In 1895 he travelled to Norway, and was delighted with the scenery and a different quality of northern light, resulting in several outstanding paintings. By 1990, Monet enjoyed enough financial success to buy property in his beloved Giverny. The town and its environs provided the backdrop for the boldly modern explorations of his later oeuvre. Les Patineurs à Giverny combines the artist's passion for Giverny with his fascination with the effects of winter light. He creates a subtle differentation between the frozen surface of the marsh and the solid land on which several figures stand to the right.

In 1868, Léon Billot gave an account of Monet painting out-of-doors in the snow, a vivid proof of the artist's dedication to capturing the effects of winter light which he captures so vividly in Les Patineurs à Giverny: "It was during winter, after several snowy days, when communications had almost been interrupted. The desire to see the countryside beneath its white shroud had led us across the fields. It was cold enough to split rocks. We glimpsed a little heater, then an easel, then a gentleman swathed in three overcoats, with gloved hands, his face half-frozen. It was M. Monet studying an aspect of the snow" (Léon Billot, 'Exposition des Beaux-Arts', in Journal du Havre, 9^th October 1868, quoted in ibid., p. 82).

 

Fig. 1 Photograph of Monet standing in the doorway of his studio at Giverny, circa 1905. Photograph by Baron de Meyer.