Gustave Courbet

Possibly, S. M. Vose, Boston (acquired in the early 1890s)
Possibly, Walter S. Ballou, Esq., Providence, Rhode Island
Possibly, Knoedler & Co., New York
Mae Persky, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts (possibly acquired from the above by 1976)
Private Collector (by descent from the above, her aunt)
Thence by descent

Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts (on loan from November 2008-March 2009)

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting is in beautiful condition. The canvas has an old lining. There is slightly raised cracking in the sky. There are no condition issues. The paint layer appears to be stable, undamaged and un-retouched. The signature on the lower right is healthy, even though it may have been applied slightly after the artist finished the work. The painting should be hung as is.
"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."

Courbet lived his last years as an exile in Switzerland, crossing the border from France in July 1873 and, by that autumn, settling into the village of La Tour-de-Peilz on the north shore of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva).  After the Commune uprisings of 1870-71, the artist was temporarily imprisoned over his alleged involvement in the toppling of the Vendôme Column, and soon after his release was determined financially responsible for its reconstruction.  His property seized, Courbet had little choice but to flee the country to avoid garnishments, if not more jail time.  In Switzerland, the artist expressed his sense of isolation in a group of compositions set around Léman's shores, including the Château de Chillon series, and works like La rive du lac Léman. In the present work, water lapping across an empty beach, a line of trees standing sentinel, and a single moored boat suggest quiet solitude.  The meeting of water and land recalls the rich lushness of the verdant Ornans countryside and the gentle rolling waves of Courbet's Normandy coast scenes, perhaps evoking memories of earlier triumphs and happier times for the artist.

The tranquility of La rive du lac Léman belies the truly harrowing experience of Mrs. Mae Persky, wife of Abraham S. Persky, past president of the Worcester Knitting Co., and the painting's owner in the 1970s.  La rive du lac Léman hung alongside American Impressionist Childe Hassam's In the Sun (to be sold in these rooms in the American Art sale on May 17, 2012) and Lady as Shepherdess  by British artist William Hamilton, in Mrs. Persky's Shrewsbury, Massachusetts home.  On the night of July 1, 1976, the elderly Mrs. Persky awoke to three masked, armed men breaking into the home, ripping the ropes from the drapes to bind her.  For the next two hours, the thieves ransacked rooms, packing furs, rugs, silverware and the paintings away, driving into the night (Scott J. Croteau, "FBI finds 3 prized, long-lost paintings, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, February 22, 2008).  While Mrs. Persky recovered from the invasion, she never saw her paintings again before her death in 1979. All hope for recovery was lost until 2007, when the FBI received a call alerting them to the paintings' location (the then-present owner was completely unaware of the paintings' history).  The discovery and the ensuing court battle for ownership made headlines for months before the works were ultimately returned to the family (Scott J. Croteau, "Estate is owner of stolen paintings," Worcester Telegram  & Gazette, July 22, 2008). The heir's children generously lent the paintings to the Worcester Art Museum for exhibition.