William Bouguereau

Goupil et Cie., Paris (acquired from the artist in September 1871 as Admiration maternelle)
M. Knoedler & Co., New York (acquired from the above in September 1871)
Theron R. Butler, New York (and sold: his estate sale, American Art Association, New York, January 7, 1910, lot 58, as Maternal Affection)
D. G. Dery (and sold: Parke-Bernet, New York, May 11, 1939, lot 41, illustrated)
Sheridan Art Galleries, Chicago
Private Collection (and sold: Sotheby's, New York, May 21, 1987, lot 99, illustrated)
Kurt Schon Galleries, New Orleans
Private Collection (and sold: Sotheby's, New York, May 23, 1996, lot 154, illustrated)
The Collection of R. Calvin Sutliff (acquired from the above and sold: Sotheby's, New York, October 23, 1997, lot 121, illustrated)
Acquired at the above sale

Ludovic Baschet, Catalogue illustré des oeuvres de W. Bouguereau, Paris, 1885, p. 46
Franqueville, William Bouguereau, Paris, 1895, p. 370
Marius Vachon, W. Bouguereau, Paris, 1900, p. 150
Louise d'Argencourt, "Bouguereau et l'art de son temps," in William Bouguereau, exh. cat., Musée du Petit Palais, Paris; Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, 1984, n.p., fig. 80, illustrated
Mark Steven Walker, "William-Adolphe Bouguereau, A Summary Catalogue of the Paintings," William-Adolphe Bouguereau, L'Art Pompier, exh. cat., Borghi & Co., New York, 1992, p. 68
Damien Bartoli and Frederick Ross, William Bouguereau, His Life and Works, New York, 2010, p. 200, illustrated pl. 99
Damien Bartoli and Frederick Ross, William Bouguereau, Catalogue Raisonné of his Painted Works, New York, 2010, p. 137, no. 1871/12, illustrated

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting has not been recently restored, but if the frame were repainted it could be hung in its current condition. The canvas has an English glue lining. The paint layer is stable. The varnish is somewhat dull. There do not appear to be any significant retouches. However, the paint layer is slightly distressed in the legs and right forearm of the child. The forehead of the mother has attracted a few retouches and this retouching extends down the left side of her face and into her neck. Our advice here is to clean the picture and remove any retouches that have been applied which will provide the opportunity to properly retouch the issues that have developed in the arm and leg of the child, some of which relate to pentimenti, and in the face of the mother, allowing the picture to reacquire its delicacy.
"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."

While the relationship between mother and child was a prevalent subject in Bouguereau's oeuvre, the present work likely had specific significance for the artist.  The model for the sleeping youth was his fourth child, Adolphe Paul (born in 1868 and aged three at the time of the present work's execution) while his wife Nelly is the observant parent.  Though Adolphe Paul and Nelly also appear in the artist's Admiration Maternelle (sold in these rooms, May 23, 1995, lot 147), here they wear contemporary dress (rather than Italianate costume) in a well-appointed interior, perhaps the family home on Paris' Rue Notre-Dame-Des Champs.