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 painting is in beautiful and fresh condition. It is stretched on its original stretcher, from which it has never been removed. The paint layer seems never to have been cleaned and although there are mild cracks in the few areas on the surface, there is no real issue with the condition. There are no retouches to the surface and the picture is expected to respond very well to cleaning.
"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."

As a recipient of the Prix de Rome in 1850, Bouguereau spent the next three years studying at the Villa Medici.  This was a rich, formative period for the young artist who, ten years later, addressed a young group of painters about to set off for Rome with the following advice: "Go and study antique genius at its original source; go and seek inspiration under those wonderful skies, in the midst of the delights of nature and the arts, in a hospitable villa, full of shadows and poetry, whose spell none of us who have lived there can ever forget." (Mark Steven Walker, William Bouguereau, exh. cat, Montreal, 1984, p. 49).  Although Bougureau returned to France in April 1854, Italy's "spell" was still foremost in his imagination, as evidenced in his choice of Antique and Roman subject matter. 

Our ébauche most likely dates from this period.  Stylistically and thematically it is similar to Bouguereau's 1855 painting,  Scène romaine (fig.1).  The treatment of the foliage and twisting grape vines, and the reflection and shadows created by Italian sunlight on the surfaces of the hard stone, are noticeably similar in each work. However, for some reason, Bouguereau never finished our painting, though it always remained in his studio.  Perhaps it was due to overwhelming demands on his time. The mid 1850s marked a very productive and busy period for the artist;  he submitted entries to the Exposition Universelle in 1855, while simultaneously executing ceiling and wall decorations for an important Paris residence on the rue de Verneuil.  But perhaps of greatest significance was the State sponsored commission he was awarded for a historical rendition of Napoleon III's visit in June 1856 to the victims of the devastating flooding of the Rhone at Tarascon, a project that paid him 5000 gold francs.  The Tarascon painting was Bouguereau's first major commission and one may speculate that he devoted his full energy to its preparation and completion, thereby putting aside other projects

Unlike the esquisse depicted in the previous lot, there is no finished composition that corresponds to the present painting.  In other words, the lack of finish cannot be explained by describing the work as a preliminary sketch or study for a known or recorded painting by Bouguereau. This unlikely turn of events pays unexpected dividends to the interested viewer. One becomes privy to, or at least sees the evolution of an unknown painting by Bouguereau, while at the same time is afforded a glimpse into the working techniques of one of the greatest academically trained artists of all time. It is important to note that Bouguereau would never have sanctioned a public display or sale of an unfinished work; in fact this painting, as well as lot 33, remained in Bouguereau's studio after his death. However, today, with a modern perspective and aesthetic, we can appreciate the spontaneity of this work with its vibrant blocks of color suggesting the costume of the model and the coarse hair of the dog's coat, as well as the structure of the woman's face and hand being simply defined by a line drawing.  In immediate contrast, Bouguereau has completed most of the painting, as evidenced by the costume of the young man, the head and expression of the dog and the lush green foliage of the grape arbor.  While we can only imagine the artistic metamorphosis of the model; perhaps she would resemble the beautiful mother in Les Oranges (lot 23), Bouguereau's virtuosity in the final rendering of the foliage and the seated dog reveal yet another facet and talent of this multi-dimensional artist.