William Bouguereau

William Bouguereau, Paris
Thence by descent to the present owner, descendant of the artist

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This canvas has not been lined but the tacking edges have been reinforced and the paint layer is clean. The painting could be hung as is. Under ultraviolet light there are a few spots of retouch visible in the upper background on the left and the right. The face seems to be completely un-retouched, as is the left arm and both hands. However, the right arm on the left of the picture in the sleeve and wrist shows restorations which extend slightly into the background above and below the hands. Below the hands there is a thin vertical line of restoration which can also be detected along the bottom. It seems likely that some sort of mild water damage affected the painting in this area. Overall however, the painting is in very fresh condition.
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This large-scale esquisse is a preparatory study for the central figure in The Secret (fig. 1), a painting commissioned by the American sugar baron, Robert L. Stuart in 1873. Correspondence between Stuart and Bouguereau (see, William Bouguereau, exh. cat., Montreal, 1984, p. 109) reveals the reciprocal communication between the patron and the artist.  In October 1873, Bouguereau sent Stuart six preliminary studies, and requested that he choose one for the final composition.  Stuart responded by selecting a scene depicting two female figures with the additional request that Bouguereau include a child (perhaps Stuart was thinking of a similar painting by Bougureau's rival, Hugues Merle). Stuart also suggested that Bouguereau increase his price to allow for the additional figure, and encouraged him to take extra time if needed because Stuart wanted the best possible painting; Bouguereau sent Stuart a revised sketch of the figure group (fig. 2) and completed the painting in 1876.

A comparison between the revised drawing (fig. 2), our esquisse and the 1876 painting (fig. 1) provides a glimpse into the various stages of Bouguereau's creative process.   As was his practice, he would also have completed many more compositional drawings and small oil sketches of the figures alone or combined, before the final stage of putting brush to canvas. In fact, an oil study of the dark haired model is also known to exist (French Private Collection).  The large scale of our study and the degree of finish of the model suggest that this painting would have been executed near the end of the process.  While the model is younger, her facial expression and her bodily pose- especially the way she rests her right arm and entwines her fingers-  are identical to the young woman in the 1876 painting. Though each model wears a scarf knotted around her neck, Bouguereau has modified the costume consistent with the difference in their ages. This is most noticeable in the blue bodice where the left tie slips off of the older girl to reveal more of a bare shoulder.  The pedimenti that surrounds the head of the young girl in the esquisse is clearly explained when we compare it to the preliminary drawing (fig.2); it appears Bougureau originally intended this model to have her head covered with a scarf and hair visibly cascading down her shoulders.  This unresolved area in the esquisse totally disappears in the 1876 painting where Bouguereau gives the model a different hairstyle. What does remain to be noted in both the esquisse and the final painting is the way the light beautifully caresses and defines the faces of the models, as well as the hint of sunlight in the background of each composition.