Claude Monet

(possibly) Meixmoron de Dombasle (on consignment in June 1875)

Comte Armand Doria, Orrouy, France (sold: Georges Petit, Paris, May 4-5, 1899, no. 193)

Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (acquired at the above sale)

Boussod, Valadon et Cie, Paris, (in 1901)

Henry Osborne Havemeyer, New York (1901)

Adaline Havemeyer Frelinghuysen, Far Hills, New Jersey (circa 1929 and until at least 1957)

Private Collection, United States

E.V. Thaw, New York

Acquired from the above by the present owner in the 1990s

Saint Louis, City Art Museum & Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Claude Monet, 1957, no. 20

Palm Beach, Society of the Four Arts, Claude Monet, 1958, no. 10

H.O. Havemeyer Collection, New York, 1931, p. 412 (titled The Barges at Argenteiul)

M. Rostand, Quelques amateurs de l'époque impressionniste (unpublished thesis), L'École du Louvre, Paris, 1955, pp. 132 & 135

Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, Biographie et Catalogue raisonné, vol. I, Lausanne & Paris, 1974, no. 270, illustrated p. 229

Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, Catalogue raisonné, vol., II, Cologne, 1996, no. 270, illustrated p. 116

The canvas is lined. Under ultra violet light, a few small cosmetic retouches at the extreme edges, probably to correct former frame abrasion, and 2 small spots along the lower edge. Otherwise, this work is in verry 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.

Painted at the dawn of the Impressionist movement in 1873, Monet's depiction of the barges on the Seine forecasts a theme that would dominate the artist's production of the 1870s.  The defining aesthetic of Impressionism is fully apparent in the present work, which Monet painted en plein air.  With his easel positioned along the banks of the river, he was able to capture the light as it reflected off the surface of the water.

For nearly ninety years, the present work was a part of the esteemed collection of the Havemeyer family, who were the pioneer collectors of Impressionist art in the United States.  The lion's share of the family's collection was gifted to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but a few pictures, including the present work, remain in private hands.